title: Health-related Quality of Life as Studied by EORTC QLQ and Voice Handicap Index Among Various Patients With Laryngeal Disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with voice-related disorders are often treated by a multidisciplinary team including assessment by patient-reported outcome measures. The present paper aims at documenting the importance of including general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures to clinical investigations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants (N = 80 larynx cancer, N = 32 recurrent palsy, N = 23 dysfunctional, N = 75 degenerative/inflammation, N = 19 various) were included consecutively at the laryngology clinic at Haukeland University Hospital. In addition, HRQoL data were included from one national group with laryngectomies (N = 105), one group with various patients formerly treated for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (N = 96), and one population-based reference group (N = 1956).
  
  
  METHODS
  Obtained were the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ), the Voice Handicap Index (VHI), and the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) neuroticism scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By analysis of variance, we have determined significant dependence of groups analyzing the sum global QoL/health index (F = 9.47; P <0.001), the functional HRQoL sum score (F5,2373= 7.14, P <0.001), and the symptom sum HRQoL scores (F7,2381= 8.13; P <0.001). In particular, patients with recurrent palsy and laryngeal cancer had lowered HRQoL. At the index levels, in particular dyspnea scores, were scored depending on larynx disease group (F7,2288= 24.4; P <0.001). The VHI score correlated with the EORTC H&N35 "speech" index with a common variance of 52%. VHI scores correlated with level of neuroticism with 8% common variance (P <0.001) and EORTC scores with 22% (P <0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In particular, among patients with voice-related disease, those with recurrent palsy and laryngeal cancer had lower HRQoL. Furthermore, the HRQoL and VHI scores were inversely tied to neuroticism.
authors: Department of Speech and Language, Statped Vest, Bergen, Norway; Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: tom.karlsen@statped.no.
authors: Tom
authors: T
authors: Karlsen
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors: Lorentz
authors: L
authors: Sandvik
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors: John-Helge
authors: JH
authors: Heimdal
authors: Regional Centre for Excellence in Palliative Care, Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway; European Palliative Care Research Centre, Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
authors: Marianne Jensen
authors: MJ
authors: Hjermstad
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway.
authors: Anne Kari Hersvik
authors: AK
authors: Aarstad
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors: Hans Jørgen
authors: HJ
authors: Aarstad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007818:Laryngeal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000075384:Neuroticism; D009664:Norway; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: EORTC QLQ; Norwegian; Voice Handicap Index; quality of life; voice disorders