Measuring the Impact of Oral Cancer on Quality of Life
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I hosted Dr. Jesus Amadeo Valdez as the primary author of a recent article that was published in the Dental Clinics of North America. The article speaks about the importance of measuring the impact of oral cancer on the patients’ quality of health. The physical and financial impacts of such as devastating disease are well known and documented. However, the psychological impacts are less obvious and on some occasions form a communication barrier between the patient and their oral health care provider. We thought it would be beneficial to shed some light on such a topic. Dr. Valdez is Chief resident in the Department of Oral Medicine in the Carolinas Medical Center. I hope you benefit from the conversation. Please share your thoughts, questions and suggestions through oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca Until next time! Chiraz Guessaier |
Highlights
- Quality of life is an abstract, subjective, and multidimensional conceptualization of a patient’s perception of self.
- The clinical manifestations of oral cancer and effects of treatment can lead to negative effects on the quality of life of the patient.
- Treatment of oral cancer has adverse effects on esthetics, speech, voice, and swallowing.
- Oral cancer treatment might require surgery that may result in altered facial appearance, which can cause social isolation and psychological distress.
- Treatment costs, work absences, medication prices, and other miscellaneous expenses can severely burden patients with oral cancer, especially patients with limited financial resources.
Full Interview (6.12″)