Oral health related quality of life of oral cancer patients treated with radiotherapy alone or with chemotherapy in a tertiary referral centre in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background Oral cancer is the number one cancer in males in Sri Lanka. Radiotherapy is a common treatment modality for oral cancer, but this can affect oral health related quality of life (OHRQOL). This study assessed the OHRQOL and its changes from baseline to the last week of radiotherapy and three months post radiotherapy among oral cancer patients who received this treatment alone or with chemotherapy. Methods A prospective longitudinal study was conducted among 90 oral cancer patients waiting for radiotherapy alone or with chemotherapy. The modified Sinhala version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Oral Health Module (EORTC QLQ-OH15) was used to gather data related to OHRQOL before radiotherapy, during the last week of radiotherapy and three months after completion of radiotherapy. Socio-demographic and clinical data were also recorded. Results The majority of the sample (88%) were males. The anterior two-thirds of the tongue (40%) and buccal mucosa (22%) were the most common sites of oral cancer. The median scores of ‘Eating problem’ domain at baseline, last week of radiotherapy and three months after radiotherapy were 20 (IQR = 6.7–33.3), 100 (IQR = 86.9–100.0) and 66.7 (IQR = 46.7–93.3) respectively. ‘Gum and speech problem’ was higher during last week of radiotherapy (median, 50.0, IQR, 25.0-58.3) than three months post radiotherapy (median, 8.3, IQR, 0.0-33.3). The changes in the ‘Eating problem’, ‘Gum and speech problem’ and ‘Soreness’ domains and the item ‘Teeth’ between the time frames were statistically significant. Conclusion The OHRQOL of oral cancer patients who received radiotherapy alone or with chemotherapy had deteriorated from the baseline level to the last week of radiotherapy but then improved at three months post radiotherapy. The OHRQOL however did not return to the baseline level three months post RT.