How will I be after my operation for oral cancer?
Validated health-related quality of life measures for patients with oral cancer have been available for over a decade. We used the Liverpool head and neck cancer database to identify 1060 patients who had curative operations for primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck at the regional maxillofacial unit between 1995 and 2010. We then produced one-page summary tables for subsites of oral cancer by stage and common treatments based on patient-reported outcomes from the University of Washington quality of life (UWQoL) head and neck cancer questionnaire. Data had been collected in a series of annual surveys. Sites included were buccal and retromolar (n=189), oral tongue (n=358), floor of the mouth (n=321), and other oral sites (n=192). A total of 633 patients completed at least one questionnaire (total 1931) between 9 and 60 months after treatment (71% of those alive at 9 months). Only questionnaires completed around 2 years from diagnosis or operation were analysed. Data include crude survival at 1, 2, and 5 years, the 12 UWQoL domains, which comprise the number of patients who chose the best 2 responses for each, overall health-related QoL, and the number who chose the worst responses (based on an algorithm). The data are sufficiently detailed to be used in discussions with patients about likely outcomes. They can help patients to make decisions about the type of treatment, provide a reference for realistic expectations, and enable them to be better informed when they give their consent.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals and St James Institute of Oncology, United Kingdom. Electronic address: a.kanatas@doctors.org.uk.
A
A
Kanatas
School of Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GE, United Kingdom. Electronic address: prashant001@aol.com.
P
P
Singh
Evidence-Based Practice Research Centre (EPRC), Faculty of Health, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk L39 4QP, United Kingdom. Electronic address: astraglobeltd@btconnect.com.
D
D
Lowe
Evidence-Based Practice Research Centre (EPRC), Faculty of Health, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk L39 4QP, United Kingdom; Regional Maxillofacial Unit, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool L9 1AE, United Kingdom. Electronic address: snrogers@doctors.org.uk.
S N
SN
Rogers
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery; D003657:Decision Making; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005887:Gingival Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009060:Mouth Floor / Q000601:surgery; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D000071066:Patient Reported Outcome Measures; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D015996:Survival Rate; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
Health related quality of life; Oral cancer; Quality of life; UW-QOL