Quality of life and functional status measures in patients with head and neck cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the relationship among three validated head and neck-specific measures of functional status and a general measure of quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study using medical chart review, patient interview, and test administration.


METHODS
Academic tertiary referral center.


METHODS
Fifty adults patients 3 months to 6 years after major surgery for head and neck cancer.


METHODS
Scores from a general measure of quality of life (the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy), a subscale specific to head and neck cancer, the University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients.


RESULTS
The disease-specific measures of functional status correlate well with one another. However, there were low correlations between the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy and the disease-specific measures, indicating that general and disease-specific instruments contribute unique information about quality of life.


CONCLUSIONS
A general measure of quality of life augments information obtained by disease-specific instruments by interpreting functional status in the broader scope of the patient's life.
D'Antonio
L L
LL
School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Calif, USA.
Zimmerman
G J
GJ
Cella
D F
DF
Long
S A
SA
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011788:Quality of Life; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires