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Erschienen in:
01.07.2003 | World Progress in Surgery
Quality-of-life Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Erschienen in: World Journal of Surgery | Ausgabe 7/2003
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Quality-of-life (QL) is a relatively new concept in head and
neck oncology outcomes research. It is important to have a clear definition and
to use reliable and valid measures in its assessment. QL studies should use
patient self-reported data and should account for treatment or disease-related
symptoms and the domains of physical and psychosocial functioning, together
with a patient-rated global QL score. Within head and neck cancer there are
very distinct differences between sites. Oral cancer and laryngeal cancer lead
to very different QL outcomes. Care must be used when comparing treatments;
organ-preservation techniques do not necessarily lead to better QL outcomes,
especially in laryngeal cancer. An assessment of life-utility (QALY) may be
helpful in determining how meaningful survival is after treatment, and can be
used to provide information to purchasers of health care services in support of
better resource allocation for head and neck cancer patients.