Oral health related quality of life in long-term survivors of head and neck cancer compared to a general population from the seventh Tromsø study

Abstract

Background Both the incidence and survival rate of head and neck cancer (HNC) is increasing, making quality of life of HNC survivors an important issue. Methods In this cross-sectional study we compared the oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) of long-term HNC survivors to that of a general population cohort from the seventh survey of the Tromsø study with the Oral Impact on Daily Performances questionnaire. Comparisons were done with frequency analyses and cross tabulation. We also assessed OHRQoL’s association to sociodemographic and oral health related variables in both cohorts as well as with cancer related variables in the HNC cohort with regression analyses. Results The HNC survivors had four times the risk of reporting problems with daily performances compared with the general population cohort. The ability to eat and enjoy food was most frequently affected in both cohorts. Moderate-poor self-rated dental health and general health as well as high frequency of dental visits were significantly associated with poorer OHRQoL. To have a history of oral or pharyngeal cancer was associated with more problems than having a history of laryngeal cancer. Conclusions Our study shows that HNC treatment is associated with a strong and lasting impairment of OHRQoL, highlighting the need to find less toxic, yet effective ways to treat the disease, and to provide easy access to expert dental care at all stages of the disease to minimize morbidity. Given the widespread side effects of cancer treatment, a multidisciplinary approach might be required to improve the OHRQoL of HNC survivors.

Vocation and Mobility as Significant Modifiable Determinants For Quality Of Life Among Oral And Throat Cancer Patients - A Hospital Based Study From Southern India

“…The physical component of quality of life is lower for oral cavity and salivary glands cancer compared to pharyngeal and laryngeal cancers. Laryngeal cancers have better quality of life among the three which is also observed in studies by Derek Lowe & Simon N Rogers (2018) 8 , Ernest A. Weymuller Jr. et al 2 and Renate Andreasen et al 15 However, the quality-of-life outcomes for oral cavity cancer was better than pharyngeal cancers in their study.…”

Botox for the prevention of radiation‐induced Sialadenitis and xerostomia in head and neck cancer patients: A pilot study

“…Salivary‐related QOL as measured by OHIP‐14 significantly decreased significantly in both groups after RT from V1 to V2 ( p < 0.01) which is consistent with prior studies. This finding is likely due to the precipitous reduction in salivary output after RT 30,31 . Salivary‐related QOL did not improve significantly in either group ( p > 0.05) between V2 and V3, or between V1 and V3.…”

“…This finding is likely due to the precipitous reduction in salivary output after RT. 30,31 Salivary-related QOL did not improve significantly in either group (p > 0.05) between F I G U R E 2 A figure depicting the comparison of the inflammatory cytokine CXCL-1 (GRO) between the control group and Botox group for each visit. *Significant difference, p < 0.05 V2 and V3, or between V1 and V3.…”

Eating and speech problems in oral and pharyngeal cancer survivors – Associations with treatment‐related side‐effects and time since diagnosis

“…15 The respondents answered all the questions of the OIDP questionnaire, but the current study used only the first two that address eating and speech because these were the activities most frequently affected, as previously described. 7 The questions had five F I G U R E 1 Respondents who were included and excluded in the study with reason response options: 0: never; 1: less than monthly; 2: once or twice a month; 3: once or twice a week; and 4: every or almost every day. For cross-tabulation and regression analyses, we dichotomized the responses to both of the questions into no or rare problems (options 0 and 1) versus frequent problems (options 2-4).…”

“…The number of long-term head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors is increasing in many European countries and in the US due to an increase in both the incidence and oral functions and quality of life, and several studies report poor oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in HNC survivors. [5][6][7] Among the most reported problems in long-term HNC survivors are eating and speech disturbances. [7][8][9] Qualitative studies of HNC patients find that eating problems can disrupt daily life, where the meal situation may lose its value as a social occasion, and instead, feel stressed and cause embarrassment.…”