A review of scales for assessment of the quality of life (QOL) in patients with oral cavity cancer.

This article is a review of the quality of life (QOL) research in oral cavity cancer patients. The authors set out to carry out this study because research on the problem is still in its infantile period. Most authors use the following scales for assessment: Scale 1 - ability to eat in public; comprehensible speech; normal diet; change in taste, Scale 2 - social adaptation; pain and disfigurement, Scale 3 - determination of the physical and functional status; psychological status; social functioning, Scale 4 - reproduction/pastimes; sleep/rest; home management; work; eating, Scale 5 - fatigue and QOL. One of the indices most frequently used to measure cancer patients' quality of life is the Karnofsky's scale. The Karnofsky's index is determined by two independent factors: the patient oncologist and the nursing team, who perform evaluations on the basis of the patient's response. The differences between these two methods is not statistically significant. Taking into consideration the proposed scales in the literature the authors have prepared a questionnaire which includes a scale for QOL assessment of oral cavity cancer patients to be used in a future survey on the quality of life of cancer patients in some regions of Bulgaria.