Oral oncology
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Comparative Study
Validation of a one-page patient-reported Charlson comorbidity index questionnaire for upper aerodigestive tract cancer patients.
Cancer patients have a wide range of comorbidities that are important confounders for biomarker and clinical studies of prognosis and outcome. Comorbidities can be captured using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) through abstraction of medical records, but patient-reported outcome (PRO) questionnaires have also been used. The objective was to validate the PRO-CCI in a head and neck cancer (HNC) population, and to assess its level of agreement with the standard (std-CCI) method of chart review. ⋯ PRO-CCI can be an easy and effective tool in prognostic and outcomes research in HNC patients.
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To evaluate long-term changes in health related quality of life (HRQOL) in oral/oropharyngeal cancer survivors and their need for and use of supportive care. ⋯ A range of HRQOL domains in head and neck cancer survivors were deteriorated in the long-term compared to baseline and to the first year after treatment. At time of treatment and less frequently at long-term follow up, patients reported needing and using a variety of supportive care services.