Voice-related Quality of Life vs. Health-related Quality of Life after Partial Laryngectomy

Background: The assessment of the treatment results of laryngeal cancer includes subjective aspects. Two tools for assessment of the quality of life of patients after treatment of small laryngeal carcinoma were compared: The disease-unspecific short-form-36 health-survey (SF-36) and the specific voice-related-quality-of-life-questionnaire (V-RQOL). Material and Methods: Data of 65 patients after partial laryngeal resection was evaluated during regular out clinic examinations. Results: The average V-RQOL total score was 70,0 +/- 24,3. Similar results were achieved for the physically (68,2 +/- 24,3) and for the emotional (72,5 +/- 27,6) subscores of the V-RQOL-survey being lower than the cut-off for healthy voices, which is at 80 points. The SF-36-health survey score was 43,0 +/- 10,7 for the physically subscore and 50,2 +/- 9,1 for the emotional subscore. Both subscores were rated worse than the age-adjusted standard value for the SF-36. There is a moderate correlation between both questionnaires, which does not depend from the size of the laryngeal carcinoma (T1 or T2). Conclusion: The voice-related quality of life is part of the health-related quality of life next to other factors. An amelioration of voice-related quality of life thus should lead to better general, health-related quality of life.