In this study, we evaluate the association between distress, various demographic and medical variables, and the prevalence of psychosocial distress in preoperative patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. A total of 100 consecutive patients were recruited into the study and asked to complete the Distress Thermometer (DT) form with the Problem List questionnaire prior to surgical intervention; the average distress score was 5.7 ± 2.7. The distress score was neither correlated with age (r = -0.025; p = 0.804) nor with tumor size (r = 0.028; p = 0.785). General worries, anxiety, sadness, depression, pain, exhaustion, sleeping disorders, or problems with nutrition resulted in significantly higher distress scores compared to patients without these complaints. Individuals with a DT score of 5 or higher (p = 0.006) were advised to seek out psychological support. There is a strong correlation between a high DT score and emotional disorders, as well as physical problems.
Keywords: Distress thermometer; Head and neck; OSCC; Psychooncology.
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