Preliminary psychometric validation of the Polish version of the EORTC head and neck module (QLQ-H&N35).

AIM: The aim of our study was to report preliminary validation data on the EORTC translated, Polish version of the EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaire to show that this tool is an acceptable and psychometrically robust measure to collect HRQoL data in Polish patients with head and neck malignancies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with histological confirmation of head and neck malignancies were eligible for the study. All patients filled out the Polish version of the EORTC QLQ-H&N35 module in addition to EORTC QLQ-C30 and a demographic questionnaire. Standardized validity and reliability analyses were performed.

RESULTS: Fifty-one patients (23 females - 45.1%) were enrolled into the study, with a mean age of 51.3 ± 12.9 years. Cronbach alpha coefficients, range 0.72-0.85, showed positive internal consistency. Satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity in multi-trait scaling analyses was seen.

CONCLUSIONS: Basing on the preliminary data from this report, one can say that the Polish version of the EORTC QLQ-H&N35 module is a reliable and valid tool for measuring HRQoL in patients with head and neck malignancies. However further research is needed to establish the full psychometric properties of the described module, especially test-retest and responsiveness over time.