Oral symptoms and functional outcome related to oral and oropharyngeal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess: (1) oral symptoms of patients treated for oral or oropharyngeal cancer; (2) how patients rank the burden of oral symptoms; (3) the impact of the tumor, the treatment, and oral symptoms on functional outcome.


METHODS
Eighty-nine patients treated for oral or oropharyngeal cancer were asked about their oral symptoms related to mouth opening, dental status, oral sensory function, tongue mobility, salivary function, and pain. They were asked to rank these oral symptoms according to the degree of burden experienced. The Mandibular Function Impairment Questionnaire (MFIQ) was used to assess functional outcome. In a multivariate linear regression analyses, variables related to MFIQ scores (p≤0.10) were entered as predictors with MFIQ score as the outcome.


RESULTS
Lack of saliva (52%), restricted mouth opening (48%), and restricted tongue mobility (46%) were the most frequently reported oral symptoms. Lack of saliva was most frequently (32%) ranked as the most burdensome oral symptom. For radiated patients, an inability to wear a dental prosthesis, a T3 or T4 stage, and a higher age were predictive of MFIQ scores. For non-radiated patients, a restricted mouth opening, an inability to wear a dental prosthesis, restricted tongue mobility, and surgery of the mandible were predictive of MFIQ scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Lack of saliva was not only the most frequently reported oral symptom after treatment for oral or oropharyngeal cancer, but also the most burdensome. Functional outcome is strongly influenced by an inability to wear a dental prosthesis in both radiated and non-radiated patients.
Kamstra
Jolanda I
JI
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Special Dentistry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands. j.i.kamstra@kchir.umcg.nl
Jager-Wittenaar
Harriet
H
Dijkstra
Pieter U
PU
Huisman
Paulien M
PM
van Oort
Rob P
RP
van der Laan
Bernard F A M
BF
Roodenburg
Jan L N
JL
D000368:Aged; D017266:Dental Prosthesis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000473:pathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014059:Tongue / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome