A screening questionnaire for voice problems after treatment of early glottic cancer.
OBJECTIVE
After treatment for early glottic cancer, a considerable number of patients end up with voice problems interfering with daily life activities. A 5-item screening questionnaire was designed for detection of voice impairment. The purpose of this study is to assess psychometric properties of this questionnaire in clinical practice.


METHODS
The questionnaire was completed by 110 controls without voice complaints and 177 patients after radiotherapy or laser surgery for early glottic cancer.


RESULTS
Based on normative data of the controls, a score of 5 or less on at least 1 of the 5 questions was considered to state overall voice impairment. Reliability of the questionnaire proved to be good. Voice impairment was reported in 44% of the patients treated with radiotherapy vs. 29% of the patients treated with endoscopic laser surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
The questionnaire proved to be a reliable, valid, and feasible method to detect voice impairment in daily life. The questionnaire is easy to fill in, and interpretation is straightforward. It is useful for both radiation oncologists and otorhinolaryngologists in their follow-up of patients treated for early glottic cancer.
van Gogh
Christine D L
CD
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. cdl.vangogh@vumc.nl
Verdonck-de Leeuw
Irma M
IM
Boon-Kamma
Brigitte A
BA
Langendijk
Johannes A
JA
Kuik
Dirk J
DJ
Mahieu
Hans F
HF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005931:Glottis; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology