Extensive surgical therapy for oral cancer and the impact on a patient's social life and ability to cope with everyday stress: three-year results

Extensive tumour resection remains the gold standard in the treatment of oral cancer. However, this can lead to severe functional and psychosocial complications. The study aimed to evaluate the social life and everyday stress in a long-term cohort of patients with oral cancer and who required surgical intervention over a period of three years. Patients undergoing surgery for malignant oral tumours in the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery at the University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, Germany, participated in the study from August 2016 to July 2021. The questionnaires "Perceived Stress Scale" (PSS), "Social Interaction Anxiety Scale" (SIAS), and "The Berlin Social Support Scales" (BSSS) were evaluated in a three-year follow-up. A total of 136 patients participated in the study (age range = 42-86 years). Levels of perceived stress, anxiety, and support changed only slightly over the three years after surgery. Significantly more anxiety in social interaction situations was reported by women (p = 0.002) and by younger patients (p = 0.046). On the other hand, subscales of the BSSS showed that women and younger patients also reported more "perceived available support" (p = 0.02 for gender and p = 0.03 for age) and "support seeking" (p = 0.05 for gender and p = 0.02 for age). Head and neck cancer surgery can lead to significant and long-lasting psychosocial stress, which can remain high for years. Medical staff should consider this aspect in tumour follow-up care and provide psychosocial support to these patients.