Evaluation of quality of life after treatment for cancer of the oral cavity

Bogumił Lewandowski
ID
Email src
Paweł Pakla
Ewelina Kłusek
Clinical Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Frederic Chopin Provincial Specialist Hospital in Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
Z Oddziału Chirurgii Szczękowo-Twarzowej Wojewódzkiego Szpitala Specjalistycznego w Rzeszowie
Z Oddział Intensywnej Terapii Szpitala Wojewódzkiego nr 2 w Rzeszowie

Abstract

Cancer of the oral cavity belongs to the group of malicious tumours which cause healing difficulties, ofien both for the patient and the doctor. Parallel to the increase in the numbers of people suffering from these cancers, there is the increasingly important question concerning the planning of the surgical and oncological care. The aim of this work is to examine the occurrence of the ailments, disorders and dysfunctions concerning the facial skull and the face following the treatment for cancer. 84 patients were included in the investigation, aged between 41 and 74 years, treated in the Jaw and Face Surgery Clinic at the Province Specialist Hospital in Rzesz6w in the years 2000-2006. The investigation included the reason for the cancer of oral cavity in the terms of the occurrence of functional disorders, deformation or damage to the anatomical structures, and disorders in the range of the oral cavity following oncological treatment of the jaw. The investigations confirmed earlier reports by different authors that treatment of the cancer of the oral cavity can result in the occurrence of after-effects such as the deformation and the distortion of the face, certain kinds of disorders related to falling asleep and other aesthetic defects, as well as the impaired functions of breathing, taste and speech. The degree of intensification of these symptoms relates to the progress of the disease. The occurrence of the symptoms in question result in increased discomfort and impaired functioning of the patient in his or her professional, family and social life. 

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited