Outcomes research in head and neck cancer

Quality of life (QOL) considerations are uniquely important in head and neck oncology outcomes research due to the multidimensional impact of these tumors and their treatment. Patient variables, tumor variables and treatment variables must be considered comprehensively in order to maximize the validity of QOL outcome measures. There are a multitude of QOL instruments, which can be classified into: (1) general measures of health-related QOL, (2) general QOL instruments for patients with cancer, (3) disease-specific instruments for patients with head and neck cancer, (4) treatment-specific instruments and (5) symptom-specific instruments. This article will highlight commonly used validated QOL instruments in head and neck oncology.