Page 121 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2021. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo / Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
P. 121
impact of oral cancer on the quality of life of older patients psihologija / sociala in zdravje starejših odraslih | psychology / social and health of the elderly
Marjeta Logar Čuček
Angela Boškin Faculty of Health Care, Jesenice, Slovenia
Introduction. Oral cancer is one of the most severe illnesses of the oral cavity.
It is predominantly caused by smoking and alcohol consumption. Poor oral hy-
giene could also be one of the causes. In younger patients and non-smokers,
the human papilloma virus has been identified to cause the disease, moreover,
hereditary and environmental factors also play an important role. Due to their
lifestyle, men suffer from the disease more frequently, however, it also affects
women and people under 50. The treatment process is typically multimodal
with a view to recovery, lowering the occurrence of complications and achiev-
ing patient independence. The objective of the study was to make a review of
literature dealing with connections between oral cancer in older patients and
their way of life, as well as to assess their quality of life after their return to their
work and social environments.
Methods. A review literature in both Slovenian and English language, published
between 2015 and 2020, has been carried out. Relevant databases of scientific
and professional literature, webpages of professional organizations and various
other digital and printed sources have been used. The search included words
and phrases such as cancer, lifestyle, prevention, quality of life. To achieve a
more precise searching procedure, the PRISM scheme has been used.
Results. The identified hits have been described, analysed and evaluated. The
results demonstrate a partial connection between the incidence of oral cancer
in older patients and their lifestyle. The recovery process of patients after an
oral cancer operation does not include only satisfying their physiological needs
but also taking care of their psychological, social and mental needs in order to
improve the quality of their lives.
Discussion and conclusion. There are many important factors that significantly in-
fluence lowering the risk of oral cancer. Among the most important ones are
lifestyle, taking care of health, prevention activities, timely action when notic-
ing changes that would lower the recovery chances in more advanced stages.
In the treatment process, the psychological preparation of the patient is of vi-
tal importance, as well as their understanding of the disease. Patients’ reinte-
gration into their environment, development of communication skills and ac-
cepting themselves is frequently a long process that demands the cooperation
of professionals, patient and their family members. There is no price that is too
high to pay if the desired result is quality life.
Keywords: cancer, lifestyle, prevention, quality of life
119
Marjeta Logar Čuček
Angela Boškin Faculty of Health Care, Jesenice, Slovenia
Introduction. Oral cancer is one of the most severe illnesses of the oral cavity.
It is predominantly caused by smoking and alcohol consumption. Poor oral hy-
giene could also be one of the causes. In younger patients and non-smokers,
the human papilloma virus has been identified to cause the disease, moreover,
hereditary and environmental factors also play an important role. Due to their
lifestyle, men suffer from the disease more frequently, however, it also affects
women and people under 50. The treatment process is typically multimodal
with a view to recovery, lowering the occurrence of complications and achiev-
ing patient independence. The objective of the study was to make a review of
literature dealing with connections between oral cancer in older patients and
their way of life, as well as to assess their quality of life after their return to their
work and social environments.
Methods. A review literature in both Slovenian and English language, published
between 2015 and 2020, has been carried out. Relevant databases of scientific
and professional literature, webpages of professional organizations and various
other digital and printed sources have been used. The search included words
and phrases such as cancer, lifestyle, prevention, quality of life. To achieve a
more precise searching procedure, the PRISM scheme has been used.
Results. The identified hits have been described, analysed and evaluated. The
results demonstrate a partial connection between the incidence of oral cancer
in older patients and their lifestyle. The recovery process of patients after an
oral cancer operation does not include only satisfying their physiological needs
but also taking care of their psychological, social and mental needs in order to
improve the quality of their lives.
Discussion and conclusion. There are many important factors that significantly in-
fluence lowering the risk of oral cancer. Among the most important ones are
lifestyle, taking care of health, prevention activities, timely action when notic-
ing changes that would lower the recovery chances in more advanced stages.
In the treatment process, the psychological preparation of the patient is of vi-
tal importance, as well as their understanding of the disease. Patients’ reinte-
gration into their environment, development of communication skills and ac-
cepting themselves is frequently a long process that demands the cooperation
of professionals, patient and their family members. There is no price that is too
high to pay if the desired result is quality life.
Keywords: cancer, lifestyle, prevention, quality of life
119
