Quality of life in patients with oral cancer treated by different reconstruction methods as measured by the EORTC QLQ-H&N43

This was a prospective clinical study and the purpose was to assess the quality of life (QoL) as the primary endpoint for patients given prospective treatment for cancer of the oral cavity that required reconstruction using various reconstruction methods in Azerbaijan. All patients who were operated on during the year 2017 to 2018 were entered into the study. Quality of life was assessed six months postoperatively using the European Organization for Research and Cancer Treatment Core Cancer Quality of Life (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the Head and Neck Specific Quality of Life (QLQ-H&NN43) questionnaires. A total of 96 patients completed the questionnaires. There were 36 patients who did not receive a flap, 31 patients received a local flap, and 29 patients had distant-regional flaps. QoL assessed by the EORTC QLQ-C30, and the QLQ-H&N43 was lower in patients who received a local flap. In general, the results showed that the reconstruction with a distant-regional flap compared with no flap and local flap leads to improved quality of life of patients with oral cancer.