Evaluation of the impact of oral mucositis in cancer patients using complex network analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21727/rpu.v16i3.5342Abstract
Introduction: Measuring quality of life is an important parameter to ensure that not only diseases and symptoms are discussed, but also complaints and values during treatment, in addition to improving prognosis evaluation and patient survival. Objectives: To assess the impact of oral mucositis on the quality of life of cancer patients. Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study was conducted. The study population consisted of hospital-based adult cancer patients who developed mucositis after chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. To analyze the relationships between the measurements of the impact of oral health on daily activities and mucositis, and to verify the psychometric properties of the instrument, Social Network Analysis tools were used. These analyses were performed using the R and Python programming languages. Results: The study was hospital-based, with 11 male and 16 female participants. Regarding age, the average was 55.19 years, with a standard deviation of 11.80. No statistical differences in age were found between the two genders studied, using Bayesian statistics (BF10 value <1). The most prevalent impact was related to xerostomia. For the neighborhood-based clustering analysis, the model's R² was 0.360. Cluster 2 presented a lower quality of life but was not associated with the severity of mucositis, sex, or age. Conclusion: Complex network analysis is a useful tool for assessing quality of life, prognosis, and patient survival.
Keywords: Oral Mucositis; Oncology; Public Health; Quality of Life.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Carlos Felipe Sarmento Pereira, Camila Lindoni Azevedo, Nayara Fernanda Pereira, Maria Gabriela Haye Biazevic, Ismar Eduardo Martini filho, Edgard Michel-Crosato
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