title: Assessment of quality of life of patients with oral cavity cancer who have had defects reconstructed with free anterolateral thigh perforator flaps.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life (QoL) in patients who have had resections of oral cancer and reconstruction by free anterolateral thigh perforator flaps. QoL was assessed by the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) and the University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QoL) questionnaires 12 months postoperatively. Fifty-one of the 69 questionnaires were returned (74%). In the UW-QoL the best-scoring domain was pain, whereas the lowest scores were for chewing, saliva, and taste. In the OHIP-14 the lowest-scoring domain was handicap, followed by psychological disability, and social disability. Free anterolateral thigh perforator flaps for reconstruction of defects of the head and neck after resection for cancer significantly influenced the patients' quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oromaxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, China Medical University, 117 South Nanjing Street, Heping District, Shenyang 110002, China.
authors.forename: Wenlu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yanjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zhongfei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Fayu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yusheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Changfu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000145:classification; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000523:psychology; D061525:Perforator Flap / Q000637:transplantation*; D011788:Quality of Life; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology; D013848:Thigh; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cancer; Free anterolateral thigh perforator flaps; Oral cavity; Quality of life