Minerva stomatologica
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Minerva stomatologica · May 1999
[Evaluation of psychological disorders in patients with cancer of the oral cavity].
This study aimed to evaluate the possible onset of forms of anxiety, major and minor depression and behaviour towards the disease shown by patients with oral cavity neoplasms. ⋯ Patients showed a psychological structure, even some time after surgery, which was similar to that in the first group of subjects, namely those facing an active phase pathology. The above findings underline the need for greater attention to be paid to the quality of life of these subjects who, owing to improved treatment, are becoming increasingly numerous. The scores obtained show that the majority of these patients encounter major difficulties at a psychological level, even if they manage to overcome the disease in physical terms. In conclusion, this study highlights the need to offer these subjects valid psychological support during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. It also underlines the need for longitudinal studies in larger and more homogeneous groups of patients suffering from this disease since they appear to be somewhat neglected by modern literature.