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Quality-of-life measurement in patients undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer: a Hong Kong experience

Lo, Phoebe S. Y., Lo, Sing Kai, Tong, Michael C. F., Ku, Peter K. M, Leung, Sing Fai and Hasselt, Andrew C. 2004, Quality-of-life measurement in patients undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer: a Hong Kong experience, Journal of oncology management, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 13-23.

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Title Quality-of-life measurement in patients undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer: a Hong Kong experience
Author(s) Lo, Phoebe S. Y.
Lo, Sing Kai
Tong, Michael C. F.
Ku, Peter K. M
Leung, Sing Fai
Hasselt, Andrew C.
Journal name Journal of oncology management
Volume number 13
Issue number 6
Start page 13
End page 23
Publisher American Academy of Medical Administrators
Place of publication Des Plaines, Ill.
Publication date 2004-11
ISSN 1061-9364
Summary The aims of this study are (1) to establish a reliable and valid quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaire for Chinese patients with head and neck (H&N) cancer who are treated with radiation therapy and (2) to evaluate the impact of the immediate side effects of treatment on the QOL of these patients. The 39-item "Quality of Life Radiation Therapy Instrument with Head and Neck Companion Module" (QOL-RTI/H&N) was translated into Chinese. In the reliability evaluation phase (study module 1), the questionnaire was administered twice to 56 H&N cancer patients, 7 days apart, during the second and third week of radiation therapy. In the validity evaluation phase (study module 2), 138 patients completed the QOL-RTI/H&N before starting and at the end of radiation therapy. Sixty-nine of these 138 patients also completed the QOL-RTI/H&N during the second week of their radiation therapy, at the same time as completing the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Head and Neck (FACT-H&N) questionnaire. Cronbach alpha coefficients were 0.88 for the general-tool QOL-RTI and 0.90 for the H&N subscale. Test-retest reliability was satisfactory with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.89 for the general-tool QOL-RTI and 0.75 for the H&N subscale. The instrument can discriminate between patients with stage I or II disease and those with stage III or IV disease (P < .05). Concurrent validity was established by the good agreement with the FACT-H&N (r = 0.86, P < .001). A highly significant deterioration was in the QOL from the baseline to the end of treatment (mean difference for general tool = 1.95, P < .001; mean difference for H&N subscale = 4.85, P < .001). The Chinese QOL-RTI/H&N is a reliable and valid tool for determining the QOL in H&N cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. The immediate side effects of treatment had a significantly negative impact on the patients' QOL. The impact was relatively large for the functional and treatment-site aspects.
Notes Reproduced with the specific permission of the copyright owner.
Language eng
Field of Research 111299 Oncology and Carcinogenesis not elsewhere classified
HERDC Research category C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal
Copyright notice ©2004
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30009363

Document type: Journal Article
Collections: School of Health and Social Development
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Created: Mon, 13 Oct 2008, 15:58:43 EST