Quality of Life in Patients Treated for Head and Neck Cancer

June 24, 2010 updated by: Maastricht Radiation Oncology

Rationale: Due to advanced technologies in the last decade, increasingly more treatment options are available for head and neck cancer (HNC). As a consequence decision-making with regard to choosing the best available treatment option is becoming increasingly relevant. Quality of life weights (utility scores) are an important outcome measure in this decision-making process. Utility scores can be combined with life expectancy, resulting in the Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY). If in economic evaluation the outcomes are expressed in QALYs gained, it is possible to compare the efficiency of different interventions for different indications. However, limited evidence on utility scores after treatment for HNC is available.

Objective: The investigators' main objective is to examine quality of life (QoL), both utility scores and disease specific quality of life, for different treatment modalities in HNC. Secondary objectives are to examine whether QoL differs across health states, and which factors influence QoL. As extensive data are available on disease-specific quality of life, another objective is to examine whether utility scores can be derived from a commonly used disease-specific questionnaire, the EORTC QLQ-C30/QLQ-H&N35. If this would be possible, this would limit patient burden in future clinical trials. Finally, by means of measuring patients' ability to perform their work, diet and dental consequences the investigators aim to measure the impact of HNC and its treatment.

Study design: The investigators' study design is a cross-sectional survey.

Study population: The study population consists of patients with HNC who are treated at least six months ago for curative radiotherapy and/or surgery with or without chemotherapy.

Intervention/method: Patients are asked to fill out a single set of questionnaires (once-only). The set of questionnaires consists of three validated questionnaires, concerning health state utility (EuroQol-5D), disease-specific quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30/QLQ-H&N35) and productivity losses (PRODISQ). In addition, two questions inquiring about patients' diet and three questions considering the dental status of these patients are added to the questionnaires. To classify patients into certain health states, physicians are asked to score adverse events in patients during follow-up visits (according to the RTOG classification).

Main study parameters/endpoints: The main study parameter is QoL (both disease specific quality of life and utility scores) in a certain health state. These utility scores can be used in future cost-effectiveness studies to identify the best available treatment option. Other important study parameters are the factors influencing QoL, and the relationship between utility score and disease-specific quality of life.

Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: As the study involves a once only set of questionnaires, the burden is only minimal. No risks are expected to be associated with participation. It is important to gain insight into QoL, patients' ability to perform their work, diet and dental consequences in long-term follow-up of HNC patients, to allow for evidence-based decision-making regarding treatment options for HNC.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
456

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Netherlands
      • Groningen, Netherlands
        • University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Radiation Oncology
    • Limburg
      • Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
        • Maastricht Radiation Oncology

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients treated for head and neck cancer more than 6 months ago.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients treated for HNC with curative intent
  • Finished treatment at least six months ago in the University Hospital Maastricht, MAASTRO Clinic or the University Medical Centre Groningen

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unable to read Dutch
  • Age < 18

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
HNC Maastricht
Patients treated for HNC in the University Hospital Maastricht/MAASTRO clinic, the Netherlands
HNC Groningen
Patients treated for HNC in the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Maastricht Radiation Oncology

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University Medical Center Groningen

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2009

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 20, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 20, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 21, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 25, 2010

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 24, 2010

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • qol hn maastro umcg

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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