Relationship between swallow-specific quality of life and fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing findings in patients with head and neck cancer.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between swallow-specific quality of life (QOL) using the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) and the swallowing function using a standardized fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) protocol in patients with dysphagia with head and neck cancer. METHODS: Sixty-three patients with dysphagia and head and neck cancer were enrolled in the study. Patients completed the MDADI questionnaire and underwent a standardized FEES examination. Ordinal FEES variables were measured. Descriptive statistics and 1-way analysis of variance tests were carried out. RESULTS: For all FEES variables, the observer agreement level was sufficient (kappa ≥0.7).These preliminary results show statistically significant mean differences of MDADI subscales between the ordinal scale levels for several FEES variables. CONCLUSION: The MDADI questionnaire can be used to assess the impact of dysphagia on the patients' health-related QOL. Despite clear trends, it remains unclear if the MDADI questionnaire can be used as an indicator for the severity of oropharyngeal dysphagia. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38 E1848-E1856, 2016.