Psychometric properties of the EORTC head and neck-specific quality of life questionnaire in disease-free Greek patients with cancer of pharynx and larynx.

PURPOSE

The purpose of our study was to formally translate to and determine the psychometric properties of QLQ-H&N35 in a group of Greek patients who had been successfully treated for laryngeal or pharyngeal cancer.

METHOD

The Greek translation of the questionnaire was performed according to the instructions of EORTC Quality of Life group as described in the translation manual. The procedure included forward and backward translations followed by a pilot study and was reported and accepted by the EORTC Quality of Life group. In a cross-sectional study, the translated EORTC QLQ-H&N35 in conjunction with the core EORTC QLQC30 questionnaire was given to 116 patients who had been successfully treated for cancer of larynx or pharynx.

RESULTS

The compliance was high, and the QLQ-H&H35 demonstrated acceptable reliability (internal consistency) and construct validity. The questionnaire had the ability to distinguish between patients with different performance status, site, treatment modality, and disease stage.

CONCLUSION

The Greek version of EORTC H&N35 in conjunction with the EORTC C30 is a valid and informative tool in assessing quality of life in Greek patients with cancer of larynx and pharynx.