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atment and monitoring. The two key entry points for patients are the out- the impact of oral cancer on the quality of life of older patients 133
patient clinic where the diagnostic procedure starts, and the multidisciplinary
consilium where the course of treatment is determined. Various support ser-
vices help in all stages in the form of clinics or wards, but mostly unconnected
to them: pain therapy, rehabilitation of voice, speech and swallowing, clinical
nutrition, dental care and rehabilitation; also other services might be involved,
on recommendation of the consilium (Strojan et al., 2021). Patients’ quality of
life after removing oral cavity cancer is largely dependent on including them
in the process of communication, boosting their self-acceptance and helping
them to reconnect with their living and work environment. The process tends
to be long-lasting and requires the cooperation of professionals, patient and
their family (Logar Čuček, 2020).

The objective of the research was to study the interconnection between
oral cavity cancer in older adults and their way of life, and the quality of life of
patients after different stages of cancer treatment.

The first goal of the research was to study the connection between the way
of life and its influence on the incidence of oral cavity cancer in older adults.

The second goal of the research was to assess the quality of a patient’s life
after rehabilitation and their inclusion in their social and work environment.

The following research question was posed:
How does lifestyle influence physical and mental quality of life in patients
with oral cavity cancer?

Methods

Review methods
A descriptive method with a review of professional and scientific literature was
used. We used relevant databases, websites of professional organizations, elec-
tronic and printed sources. The search for literature was conducted using the
following key phrases and words: oral cancer, lifestyle, prevention, quality of
life. The inclusion criteria for the selection of literature were articles in Slovene
and English, published from 2015 to 2020, freely available in full text with con-
tent matching the topic of the research. A source published before 2015 clearly
states the consequences of alcohol consumption, smoking and the influence of
other factors on the development of oral cancer. Payable articles and those that
did not provide access to the full text were excluded.

Contents analysis of 6 professional and scientific articles from the field of
the interdependence of factors for the development of cancer in the oral cavi-
ty was performed. The second step was a descriptive analysis of articles on the
quality of a patient’s life during treatment and preparation for inclusion into
their work and social environment.
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