Quality of life and Its Association With Radiation-Induced Oral Mucositis in Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma During Radiotherapy: A Prospective Study

Abstract We aimed to investigate the quality of life of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients during treatment and association with radiation-induced oral mucositis (ROM). A prospective study of 173 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma was initiated. Quality of life (QoL) was evaluated using the self-reported quality of life questionnaire for Head and Neck (QLQ-H&N 35) and ROM was evaluated before treatment and weekly with the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events dictionary (CTCAE 4.0). Patients were divided into three groups (mild, moderate, severe groups) according to the duration of ≥ 3 grade ROM. The ANOVA analysis was performed to investigate the change in life quality and its association with ROM. During the treatment process, there was a significant decrease in patient QoL from T0 to T1-6. There were also significant differences (p < 0.05) observed in most scales at several time points (especially between T4 and T6), between the groups (mild vs. severe group). The QoL for NPC patients deteriorated during treatment and was associated with ROM. Patients with severe ROM were likely to develop the poorest QoL. More supportive intervention should be carried out early particularly for those with severe ROM.