Psychometric evaluation of Azeri version of the head and neck cancer specific quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-H&N43).

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer surgery can have a deep effect on the quality of life in the patient both in terms of functional and psychological aspects. This study aimed to translate and validate the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer head and neck cancer specific quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-H&N43) in Azerbaijan. METHODS: Forward-backward translation was applied in order to translate the EORTC QLQ-H&N43 from English into Azeri. Then, a sample of patients with oral cancer attending a teaching hospital affiliated to Azerbaijan Medical University completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 (the core cancer specific questionnaire), and the EORTC QLQ-H&N43. To evaluate psychometric properties of the QLQ-H&N43, known groups validity, convergent and divergent validity was performed. Internal consistency reliability was examined by estimating the Crornbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: Ninety-six patients with confirmed diagnosis of oral cancer were entered into the study. The mean age of patients was 59.6 (SD = 10.7) years and 36 patients (37.5%) diagnosed as having stage IV and 10 patients (10.5%) were metastatic. The results obtained from comparing quality of life scores among these patients showed that the questionnaire was able to differentiate among patients who differed in stage and metastasis lending support to its validity. In addition convergent and divergent validity showed satisfactory results. The internal consistency of the multi-item scales as assessed by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient showed acceptable results (alpha ranging from 0.66 to 0.78). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that in general the Azeri version of EORTC QLQ-H&N43 has satisfactory internal consistency reliability and validity, but additional psychometric evaluation is needed to draw firm conclusions.

The Azeri Version of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30): Translation and Validation.

OBJECTIVE: Quality of life in cancer patients has become an important outcome measure. This study aimed to translate and validate the European Cancer Research and Treatment Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) in Azerbaijan. METHODS: Forward-backward procedure was applied to translate the EORTC QLQ-C30 from English into Azeri. Then a cross sectional study was conducted to validate the questionnaire in Azerbaijan. A sample of patients with confirmed diagnosis of oral cancer completed the Azeri version of the questionnaire from January 2017 to December 2018. Construct validity was assessed by performing know groups comparison and item-scale correlation matrix. Reliability was examined by estimating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency. RESULTS: In all 141 patients with oral cancer participated in the study. Known groups comparison indicated that the Azeri version of EORTC QLQ-C30 well differentiated between patients who differed in the disease stage. Those with higher stage reported lower functioning and higher symptoms. In addition item-scale correlation matrix showed a good correlation between items and its own hypothesized subscales as expected (Pearson correlation coefficient ranging from 0.735-0.978). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranged form 0.68 to 0.94 indicating acceptable results for the internal consistency of the questionnaire. CONCLUSION: This preliminary validation study proved that the Azeri version of EORTC QLQ-C30 is a valid measure of quality of life in cancer patients. However, studies with other cancer patients and stronger psychometric evaluations are recommended.

Evaluation of quality of life in patients with oral cancer after mandibular resection: Comparing no reconstruction, reconstruction with plate, and reconstruction with flap.

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess and compare quality of life in patients with advanced oral cavity tumors after mandibular resection in 3 groups (no reconstruction, reconstruction with plate, and reconstruction with flap) at the Cancer Institute, affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Quality of life was measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer core quality of life questionnaire and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer head and neck cancer-specific quality of life questionnaire-35 items. The comparison was tested using Kurskal-Wallis analysis. All 120 patients were entered into the study. The mean age of patients was 48.5 (standard deviation = 18.1) years. Patients presented with advanced stage of the disease and underwent mandibular resection with no reconstruction (n = 40), reconstruction with plate (n = 41), and reconstruction with flap (n = 39). The findings showed that in general, there were no statistically significant differences in quality of life among 3 groups except for speech problem (P = .4), dry mouth (P = .03), and feeling ill (P = .04). Although there were no significant differences in quality of life among patients in 3 groups, overall patients who received reconstruction with flap reported better functioning and fewer symptoms. Those who did not receive any reconstruction reported the worse conditions.