Perioperative change trajectories and predictors of swallowing function and swallowing-related quality of life in patients with oral cancer: a longitudinal observational study

Objective To determine change trajectories and predictors of swallowing function and swallowing-related quality of life (QoL) in perioperative patients with oral cancer. Design Longitudinal observational study. SettingA tertiary cancer hospital in Hunan Province, China. Participants Patients with oral cancer scheduled for surgery were recruited using convenience sampling. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcomes were swallowing function and swallowing-related QoL. The secondary outcomes were the predictors of the swallowing function and swallowing-related QoL. Methods The participants completed the sociodemographic and clinical data questionnaire, Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 and MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory before surgery, 7 days after operation and 1 month after operation. Data were analysed using t-test, analysis of variance and generalised linear models. Results Among 138 participants who completed all the three surveys, 41 (29.71%) had moderate to severe dysphagia before surgery. Swallowing function and swallowing-related QoL changed over time, showing the trend of decline first and then increase. Preoperative swallowing function and swallowing-related QoL were affected by sex, lymphocyte level, preoperative nutritional risk and primary tumour site. At 7 days postoperatively, tracheotomy affected swallowing function. At 1 month postoperatively, age and marital status influenced swallowing function, whereas age, type of job and preoperative nutritional risk influenced swallowing-related QoL. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that perioperative patients with oral cancer generally faced swallowing disorders, especially in the acute phase after surgery. Healthcare providers should pay attention to the swallowing function of perioperative patients with oral cancer, especially those with preoperative nutritional risk, tongue tumour, tracheotomy, age <60 years, and no spouse and the employed patients, and provide available interventions, such as swallowing and nutritional therapy, as early as possible to improve their swallowing function. Meanwhile, doctors should recommend the most evidence-based treatment options, such as reconstruction or not, preoperative chemotherapy or not, to patients.