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J Cancer Surviv. 2021 Oct 05; doi: 10.1007/s11764-021-01118-3. Epub 2021 Oct 05.

Postoperative quality of life and therapy-related impairments of oral cancer in relation to time-distance since treatment.

Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice

Philipp Jehn, Simon Spalthoff, Fritjof Lentge, Alexander-Nicolai Zeller, Frank Tavassol, Michael-Tobias Neuhaus, Fabian Matthias Eckstein, Gertrud Krüskemper, Nils-Claudius Gellrich, Philippe Korn

Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany. [email protected].
  2. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
  3. Department of Oral, Craniomaxillofacial and Facial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
  4. Department of Medical Psychology, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany.

PMID: 34609700 DOI: 10.1007/s11764-021-01118-3

Abstract

PURPOSE: Oral cancer resection can cause physical and psychological impairments that influence the quality of life (QoL). Depending on the postoperative time-distance, the occurrence and intensity of these impairments may change. We evaluated the sequelae and changes in therapy-related impairments during the postoperative course to detect associations between the time since surgery and the presence of disorders.

METHODS: Data from a questionnaire completed by 1359 patients who underwent surgical treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma and were involved in a multicenter rehabilitation study of the German-Austrian-Swiss Cooperative Group on Tumors of the Maxillofacial Region (DÖSAK) that included 43 oral and maxillofacial clinics in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS: Physical impairments, including those in appearance, mouth opening ability, ability to smell, gastric disorders, mandible mobility, breathing, and shoulder/arm mobility, were significantly associated with and increased with time-distance since surgery. Esthetic appearance most strongly correlated with the highest perception of worsening. Regarding psychological disorders, worry about tumor recurrence, depression, and worse prospects were significantly associated. Among the postoperative sequelae, fear of tumor recurrence decreased continuously; however, depression and worse prospects increased. The general QoL did not significantly differ overall during the postoperative course.

CONCLUSIONS: Therapy-related impairments change during the postoperative course based on the time-distance since surgery. The general QoL may not markedly vary; however, single impairments, to some extent, can increase or decrease.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Continuous adaptation of supportive cancer therapy is required during follow-up to sufficiently address individual treatment needs.

© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Keywords: Cancer therapy; Oral cancer; Quality of life; Surgical treatment

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