Background: Posttherapeutic mucositis is a common secondary effect of oral cancer treatment. Mucositis affects the oral mucosa, which leads to specific physical impairments in oral function and a negative impact on quality of life. Objective: To evaluate the impairments associated with oral mucositis and their impact on posttherapeutic quality of life. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1,652 patients treated for oral cancer during the multicenter rehabilitation study of the German-Austrian-Swiss Cooperative Group on Tumors of the Maxillofacial Region (DÖSAK), which included 43 clinics from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The analysis was based on questionnaires filled out by patients following treatment. Results: Approximately 10% of 1,652 patients included in our study had physical or psychological impairments due to increased posttreatment oral mucositis; this was mainly due to adjuvant radiotherapy or radiochemotherapy administered. Oral mucositis was significantly associated with specific physical impairments, especially xerostomia and pain (p = 0.000), which required supportive care and analgesia (p = 0.000). Additionally, impaired ingestion and speech significantly led to psychological disorders such as public avoidance behavior and social isolation (p = 0.001). Depressive coping of disease (p = 0.001) and concomitant depressive tendencies (p = 0.004) were highly associated with mucositis, which was accompanied by diminished general condition (p = 0.001), bleak future prospects (p = 0.006), and a reduction in quality of life (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Minimizing mucositis-related impairments should be a main effort in oral cancer treatment to optimize patient outcome and improve quality of life after therapy.

Background/Aim: We evaluated survival rates in surgically-treated oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients at our clinic, and determined whether survival differed by tumour locations. Patients and Methods: In a retrospective study, tumour lesions in 1,486 patients were categorized into 6 groups according to tumour location. Patients' age, sex, tumour-node-metastasis classification, resection status, 5-year and disease-specific survival rates were statistically analysed between groups. Results: A significantly inferior disease-specific and lower 5-year survival rates for tumours located at the base of the tongue and oropharynx, and maxilla, due to higher T-stage and incomplete resection status were shown. Cervical lymph node metastasis and distant metastatic spread were more frequently observed with base of the tongue and oropharynx lesions. Conclusion: Attentive inspection and precise clinical examinations of specific oral and oropharyngeal regions are crucial for early diagnosis and treatment. Oral and oropharyngeal tumour locations play important roles in disease prognosis.