title: Quality of life in long-term oral cancer survivors: an 8-year prospective study in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the prospective study was to evaluate the long-term changes in quality of life (QOL) in patients with oral cancer and to examine the potential factors that predicted QOL at 8 years after treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-one patients were evaluated by the University of Washington quality of life scale. QOL in 30 long-term survivors was assessed at diagnosis and at the 3-month, 1-year, and 8-year follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  QOL was found to be better among survivors compared with nonsurvivors at the 1-year follow-up. Levels of pain, mood, and anxiety showed clinically and statistically significant improvements between diagnosis and at 8 years following treatment, whereas problems with chewing, speech, shoulder mobility, and taste worsened during this interval (P < .05). From 1 to 8 years, patients reported clinically significant improvements with regard to appearance, recreation, speech, saliva, and anxiety. Among the 11 sociodemographic, disease-, or treatment-related factors, age and tumor site were associated with long-term QOL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the QOL among patients with oral cancer was generally favorable in the long term, the changed patterns in different domains over time should be noted. Improved QOL between the 1-year and the 8-year follow-up demonstrated the dynamics of QOL after 1 year and justified ongoing follow-up beyond the 1-year observation point.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, Tianjin, PR China.
authors.forename: Ying-Bin
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, PR China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Affiliated Hospital of Logistic University of Chinese People's Armed Police Force (PAPF), Tianjin, PR China.
authors.forename: Zi-Quan
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Jia-Bin
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, Tianjin, PR China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, Tianjin, PR China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, Tianjin, PR China.
authors.forename: Xue-Wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, PR China. Electronic address: 18610992288@163.com.
authors.forename: Chi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors