title: Assessment of the quality of life of patients with oral cancer after pectoralis major myocutaneous flap reconstruction with a focus on speech.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the quality of life (QoL) of patients with oral cancer who had undergone resection of the tongue and floor of the mouth and reconstruction with the pectoralis major flap.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study assessed 21 patients who had undergone pectoralis major flap reconstruction using the University of Washington QoL, version 4, questionnaire. A nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 12 disease-specific domains, the best 3 scores from the patients were for pain, saliva, and anxiety, and the worst 3 scores were for taste, chewing, and swallowing. The mean UW-QoL composite score was 73.4. Swallowing was considered to be the most important issue within the previous 7 days, followed by chewing and speech. Those patients who had undergone wider excision had poorer speech.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A significant effect was found on the QoL of patients with oral cancer who had undergone resection of the tongue and floor of the mouth with pectoralis major flap reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Oromaxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, China Medical University School of Stomatology, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qi-Gen
authors.initials: QG
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhen-Ning
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fa-Yu
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chang-Fu
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005927:Glossectomy / Q000379:methods; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000601:surgery; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009060:Mouth Floor / Q000601:surgery; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D064827:Myocutaneous Flap / Q000637:transplantation*; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000637:transplantation*; D011788:Quality of Life; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000523:psychology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000502:physiology; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery