Association of Treatment-Related Weight Changes With Functional Impairments, Public Visits, and Future Life Perspectives in Oral Cancer: A Multicenter Study.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate treatment-related weight changes in oral cancer and examine their association with functional impairments, public visits, and future life perspectives.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Data from 1359 surgically treated patients were retrospectively analyzed in a multicenter rehabilitation study conducted by the German-Austrian-Swiss Cooperative Group on Tumors of the Maxillofacial Region (DÖSAK). Weight changes were self-reported after treatment using a standardized questionnaire. Associations with tumor stage, surgical treatment, functional impairments, public visits, and future life perspectives were analyzed.

RESULTS

Weight loss was significantly associated with advanced tumor stage (p = 0.001), nodal metastasis (p < 0.001), and radical neck dissection (p = 0.038). Weight differences alone did not change patients' public visits compared with the past (p < 0.001). However, weight loss combined with functional impairments in eating (p < 0.001), speaking (p < 0.001), and physical appearance (p < 0.001) was associated with avoidance of public visits. Stable weight was associated with favorable future life perspectives, whereas weight loss was associated with negative future perspectives (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Early identification of treatment-related weight changes may help identify patients at risk of functional impairments and adverse psychosocial outcomes, supporting timely nutritional interventions in oral cancer care.