Self-Reported Speech Outcomes in Oral Cavity Cancer

Individuals with oral cavity cancer (OCC) have negatively impacted functional status and quality of life. Little is known regarding patients' perspectives of their speech impairments. This study compared self-reported speech function between patients surgically treated for OCC and healthy controls using the Speech Handicap Index (SHI) and identified factors associated with worse scores.

This is a multiinstitutional cross-sectional study of OCC patients and healthy controls recruited between July 2024 and March 2025. Participants completed the SHI and self-reported speech quality. Demographics, tumor, and treatment details were abstracted from the electronic health record for OCC. Group differences were assessed with t-tests, χ², and Fisher's exact tests.

Among 69 OCC and 90 controls, OCC patients had significantly higher mean SHI scores (50.2 vs. 34.7, p < 0.01) and were less likely to rate their speech as "good" or "excellent" (47.8% vs. 85.6%, p < 0.01). Both speech and psychosocial domain scores were significantly worse among OCC. Free flap reconstruction was associated with worse scores (29.6 vs. 15.5, p = 0.02) and worse self-rated speech quality.

Patients with surgically treated oral cavity cancer have significantly impaired self-perceived speech and psychosocial functioning compared with healthy individuals. Greater deficits were observed in patients who required free flap reconstruction. Despite the functional deficit, nearly half of OCC patients reported satisfaction with their speech quality. These findings highlight the importance of using validated measures for speech function and support the need for early, multidisciplinary rehabilitation including speech therapy in this population, particularly for those undergoing free flap reconstruction.