Quality of life after radiation therapy for base of tongue cancer.

Quality-of-life (QOL) research in patients treated for head and neck cancer is in its infancy. Early research focused on psychosocial issues related to extensive surgical resection and its consequences. Many advances have been made in both radiotherapy and surgical management. Nevertheless, individuals with head and neck cancer are at risk for significant treatment-related morbidity, which can have a substantial impact on the quality of their life. This article provides an overview of the evolution of QOL research in this population, and presents a series of studies using the Performance Status Scale (PSS) to measure functional QOL in patients with base of tongue cancer who are treated with radiation therapy.