Patient reported swallowing outcome after treatment for head and neck cancer
The aim of this study is to evaluate feasibility, reliability, and validity of the SWAL-QOL (a questionnaire on swallowing problems in daily life), and defining sample size calculations and a clinically relevant cut-off score.
102 patients treated for cancer of the oral cavity or pharynx and 111 healthy subjects completed the SWAL-QOL and the EORTC H&N35 questionnaire. A randomly selected subset of patients (n=29) completed the SWAL-QOL twice to asses test-retest stability. For the patient sample, data on tumor site (oral or oropharyngeal) and stage (I-IV), treatment modality (surgery, radiation, surgery + radiation, chemoradiation), and presence of a PEG tube were abstracted from medical records.
Reliability of the SWAL-QOL was high with high internal consistency and test-retest stability. Feasibility was good, except for patients with tube feeding, of whom 38% did not complete the questionnaire (versus 9% of those with oral feeding).
A cut-off score of 14 points (or higher) was defined regarding the total SWAL-QOL score to identify patients with swallowing problems with 94% sensitivity and 84% specificity.
A difference score of 12 points or more is proposed to be used in study designs with multiple groups. It can be concluded that the SWAL-QOL is a feasible, reliable, and valid questionnaire to assess patients’ swallowing impairment. It can be used in future comparative studies for oral and oropharyngeal cancer and in clinical practice to identify patients in need of further diagnostics and/or swallowing rehabilitation services.
The SWAL-QOL is used in clinical practice (in OncoQuest) and in other research projects. In a study for instance the SWAL-QOL was used regarding on patient reported swallowing outcome among 55 patients (response rate 85%) who had been treated with chemoradiation for a head and neck tumor, at least 6 months after the start of treatment. 90% of the patients had a deviant total score on the SWAL-QoL-NL (15 or higher). The scores on the SWAL-QoL-NL were high irrespective of the months after treatment.
Project duration
Data acquisition is closed. Publication of data is in progress.
Funding
VUmc, department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (20007-2012).
Staff
R.N.P.M. Rinkel, MD, ENT-specialist, laryngologist, dpt. Otolaryngology-Head&Neck Surgery, VUmc
Prof I.M. Verdonck-de Leeuw, PhD, Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist, Linguïst, dpt. Otolaryngology-Head&Neck Surgery, VUmc.
Prof N.K Aaronson, PhD MD, Head dpt. psychosocial research, The Netherlands Cancer Institute
Prof C.R. Leemans, PhD MD, Head & Neck Surgeon, ENT-specialist, dpt. Otolaryngology-Head&Neck Surgery, VUmc.
Questions?
For questions, please contact:
Rico N.P.M. Rinkel, MD, ENT-specialist, laryngologist
Email: s.biemans@vumc.nl
News flashes
12 april 2013: KWF Kankerbestrijding / Alpe d’HuZes has granted the research proposal Netherlands Quality of life and Biomedical Cohort Studies in Cancer (NET-QUBIC).
Marieke de Bruijn will defend her PhD thesis on 10 juni 2013 at 15.45 pm.
Support our bicycle team for Alpe d'HuZes 2013!
On 6 June 2013 our team living together with cancer will cycle the Alpe d'HuZes! This in the fight against cancer. At this moment there is already more than 1500 euro donated. Do you support us too?
The 15th World Congress of Psycho-Oncology and Psychosocial Academy will be held in Rotterdam, 4-8 November 2013. www.ipos-society.org/ipos2013/.
29 January 2013. Pink Ribbon has granted a project to develop and evaluate an online training for cancer patients with insomnia (Annemieke van Straten), and a project to develop and evaluate a breast cancer module for the OncoKompas (Nelly van Uden).
Charity Symposium "Living with cancer"
On December 19, 2012 there will be a Symposium ''Living with Cancer''. This is a charity symposium on meaning centered psychotherapy for cancer patients. Read more about it at the tab News at the left.
15 November 2012: Hoe?Zo! Radio interview with Irma Verdonck on stress and cancer.
October 2012: Interview with Irma Verdonck in Psychologie Magazine.
September 9, 2012. Interview Hans van Willigenburg with Irma Verdonck on Radio 5.
August 2012. Five students finish their MSc thesis and graduate as MSc in Clinical PSychology.
June 28-30, 2012: International symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC ISOO) at New York. Kevin Yap and Irma Verdonck organise a workshop on e-health and supportive care.
Record for Alpe d'HuZes 2012. The sponsor action Alpe d'HuZes (6 and 7 June) 2012 has already yielded the record amount of 28.5 million euros.
June 6-8, 2012: Our research group contributes to Alpe d'HuZes as volunteers.
April 20, 2012: Nelly van Uden will give a presentation about OncoKompas at a conference about ICT in health care in Barcelona.
March 16, 2012: NVPO congress in Utrecht, we contribute with 2 oral and 2 poster presentations and a workshop.
January 1, 2012: The project POLARIS project has officially started.
December 22, 2011: Radio program DeGids.fm, Felix Meurders interviews Corien Eeltink on sexuality and cancer.
November 2, 2011: KWF / Alpe d'HuZes funds a grant for the development and evaluation of an online intervention for informal caregivers of cancer patients.
October 30, 2011 In the national television program "Gesprek op 2", Daphne Bunskoek interviewed Irma Verdonck on living with cancer.
October 28, 2011: www.oncokompas.nl is online!
October 23, 2011: Alpe d'HuZes hands over more than 20 million euros to the Dutch Cancer Society!
Team work
Our research projects are embedded in the two largest research institutes of VU University in Amsterdam: VUmc CCA-VICI (Cancer Center Amsterdam) www.vumc.nl/afdelingen/CCA-V-ICI/ and EMGO+ (Institute for Health and Care Research emgo.nl
We work closely with patients and their caregivers and with researchers and physicians at VU University and VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam and other research institutes and hospitals in the Netherlands and worldwide. Team work is crucial improving research and translating results into clinical practice.
