Abstract: PURPOSE:The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life of oral and oropharyngeal cancer patients who underwent reconstruction with three methods. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent primary surgery in Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2012 to October 2012 were recruited. University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire version 4 (UW- QOL V4), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire version 3(EORTC QLQ-C30 v3) and Head and Neck version 1(EORTC H&N35 v1) were used as questionnaires for this study.The patients were divided into primary closure, submental island pedicled flap (SIPF), radial forearm free flap (RFFF) group according to reconstruction techniques. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 20.0 software package. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients completed the questionnaires. Patients who underwent RFFF had higher QOL in swallowing, chewing and speech and overall score compared with primary closure group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference (P>0.05) between RFFF and SIPF groups in overall QOL one year after surgery. Furthermore, the QOL of SIPF group was better than primary closure group in chewing, speech and appetite loss. CONCLUSIONS: Swallowing, chewing and speech were major factors that affect recent QOL of oral and oropharyngeal cancer patients one year after surgery. Training of speech and swallowing should be addressed for postoperative patients.

Key words: Oral cancer, Oropharyngeal cancer, Quality of life, Submental island pedicled flap, Radial forearm free flap