Speech Handicap Index in patients with oral and pharyngeal cancer: Better understanding of patients' complaints

• Published in: Head & neck Vol. 30; no. 7; pp. 868 - 874
• Main Authors: Rinkel, Rico N., Leeuw, Irma M. Verdonck-de, van Reij, Ellen J., Aaronson, Neil K., Leemans, C. René
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.07.2008; John Wiley & Sons
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - complications; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - surgery; Case-Control Studies; Disability Evaluation; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Karnofsky Performance Status; Laryngeal Neoplasms - complications; Laryngeal Neoplasms - pathology; Laryngeal Neoplasms - surgery; Laryngectomy - adverse effects; Laryngectomy - methods; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mouth Neoplasms - complications; Mouth Neoplasms - pathology; Mouth Neoplasms - surgery; oral cancer; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Probability; Quality of Life; Reference Values; Risk Assessment; Sensitivity and Specificity; SHI; Sickness Impact Profile; speech disorder; Speech Disorders - classification; Speech Disorders - etiology; speech handicap index; Speech Intelligibility; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tumors; Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology; Handicap; Human; Oral cancer; Stomatology; speech handicap index; ENT; Malignant tumor; Quality of life; SHI; speech disorder; ENT disease; Speech; Oral cavity disease; Pharynx disease; Pharynx cancer; Cancer
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.20795
• ISSN: 1043-3074; 1097-0347

Background A Speech Handicap Index (SHI) questionnaire with 30 items on speech problems was developed and validated in 92 patients with cancer of the oral cavity or pharynx and 110 healthy subjects. Methods All subjects completed the SHI and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire–Head & Neck module (QLQ‐H&N35). Twenty‐nine patients completed the SHI twice to assess test–retest reliability. Results Factor analysis identified 2 well‐defined subscales, assessing speech function and psychosocial functioning related to speech. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were high. Construct validity was evidenced by its ability to distinguish between patient subgroups formed on the basis of tumor grade. A cut‐off score of 6 points was defined to identify patients with speech problems. Conclusions Results of this initial psychometric study indicate that the SHI is a reliable and valid questionnaire for assessing speech problems. Additional research is needed to evaluate responsiveness of the questionnaire to changes in speech‐related problems over time. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008