Iqra Zakir, Hamdan Ahmed Pasha, Ahmad Nawaz Ahmad, Saeed Akhtar, Shakil Aqil
Background: Oral cancer patients are at risk of depression during treatment yet there are very few tools to highlight patients at risk. We aimed to use a validated scale to identify risk factors associated with post-operative depression in oral cancer patients.
Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study from July 2019 to January 2020. Oral cancer patients filled out Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaire postoperatively. Factors associated with risk of depression were analysed.
Results: 117 patients participated in the study, 84.7% of them being males. Tongue cancers were the most common (29.9%) followed by buccal cancers in 24.8% of the patients. Females had a significantly higher mean depression score of 14.00 ± 3.71compared to males score of 10.64 ± 4.87. Females and patients with buccal tumors were associated with a higher risk of postoperative depression.
Conclusion: Oral cancer patients, especially females and those with buccal tumors, need special attention in regard to their psychological well-being postoperatively to optimize patient compliance, improve patient care and quality of life.