Study on quality of life among oral cancer survivors following surgery in Madhya Pradesh

Oral cancer is one of the highly prevalent cancers worldwide and is a leading cause of mortality especially in Southeast Asia region. Oral cancer ranks in the top three of all cancers in India, which accounts for over thirty percent of all cancers reported in the country. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has predicted that India’s incidence of cancer will increase from 1 million in 2012 to more than 1.7 million in 2035. Oral cancer is among the most common form of cancer seen in Madhya Pradesh. Oral cancer burden differs from other regions, mainly due to culturally determined practices of tobacco use and habitual chewing of carcinogenic substances like areca nut, pan masala, gutka etc. While these indicators provide critical information about the health status of populations but they do not offer any information about the quality of life of survivors. Increasing life expectancy from surgery in oral cancer also highlights the need for other measures of health, especially the quality of the years lived. This study will help to understand the burden of disease, experiences, needs and quality of life of patients who have undergone surgery and how they cope-up with the treatment. So that steps can be taken to design interventions regarding improving the quality of life of oral cancer patient post-surgery through supportive and promotive health care.