General and Specific Quality of life in long-term oral cancer survivors reconstructed with free forearm flap.

Abstract

Abstract Background: This study evaluates the general and specific quality of life (QoL) in oral cancer patients with more than 5 years of survival after initial surgery and reconstructed with Radial Forearm Free Flap (RFFF), comparing these results with a general population group, used as a reference.Methods: We used in our study the SF36 (Short Form 36), the UW (University of Washington) and the EORTC-H&N35 (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Head and Neck 35) QoL questionnaires, self-administered to 30 oral cancer patients reconstructed with RFFF, and at least 5 years of cancer-free survival after surgery. Paired Student t test and Student t test to compare a sample with a theoretical value or Wilconxon test to compare a sample with a theoretical value, when indicated, were used to analyze the statistical significance, which was considered at a value of p<0.05.We applied the Minimum Important Difference (MID) to the difference of means between our patients and the general population. The difference of means was considered clinically relevant if it overcame the MID.Results: The SF-36 questionnaire in our patients yielded a better HRQL (Health Related Quality of Life), both statistically significant and clinically relevant in physical limitation and pain dimension, and statistically significant in emotional limitation dimension when compared to general population. At EORTC-H&N35 questionnaire, our patients presented clinically relevant negative differences and statistically significant scores in specific dimensions of the oral cavity. With UW questionnaire, anxiety dimension scored the best, with clinically and statistically significant differences versus general population. The other dimensions showed clinically and statistically significant worst results than general population.Conclusions: Our patient´s General QoL is similar or even better in some dimension than general population. However, most specific dimensions presented clinically and statistically worst results than general population.