European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Head and Neck Module, updated version: Preliminary psychometric data from Serbian laryngectomized patients

Abstract

Background: We provided preliminary psychometric data for the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Head and Neck Module, updated version (QLQ-H&N43) from a group of Serbian laryngectomized patients.

Methods: The study included 170 subjects. The QLQ-H&N43 is a 43-item questionnaire, with 12 multi-item scales and 7 single-item symptom scales. All subjects also completed the Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30-questions (QLQ-C30).

Results: Good internal consistency (Cronbach's α of above 0.7) was found for 5 of the 7 scales. All QLQ-H&N43 scales correlated negatively as predicted with all QLQ-C30 functioning scales. The correlations with the QLQ-C30 symptoms supported discriminant validity, with only one exception: the head and neck social eating scale overlapped with the QLQ-C30 pain scale. For 14 of 19 QLQ-H&N43 scale scores, significant known-group differences were observed between those who differ in type of laryngectomy, adjuvant therapy, or 5-year survival.

Conclusion: Preliminary evidence suggests that a great majority of the QLQ-H&N43 scales have acceptable internal consistency and promising construct validity, but more research studies are needed with other cancer groups to extend these findings. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E916-E924, 2016.

Keywords: European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC); laryngeal cancer; laryngectomy; psychometrics; quality of life.