Health-related quality-of-life assessment in patients with oropharyngeal cancer: A comparison of EQ-5D-5L and EORTC instruments.

Objective: This study assessed and compared health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with oropharyngeal cancer in Korea using the following instruments: the EuroQol 5-Dimensions 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L); EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 30 (QLQ-C30); and the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire - Head and Neck 35 (QLQ-H&N35). The principal goal was to evaluate suitability of the EQ-5D-5L for assessing HRQoL in patients with oropharyngeal cancer.

Methods: A survey was conducted from August 2023 to March 2024 in 297 patients with oropharyngeal cancer across 14 hospitals in Korea. HRQoL data were collected using the EQ-5D-5L, QLQ-C30, and QLQ-H&N35 instruments. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed based on sociodemographic characteristics and correlation analyses between the instruments. A multiple regression analysis was also conducted to identify significant EORTC domains influencing the EQ-5D-5L index.

Results: All EQ-5D-5L items correlated significantly with the QLQ-C30 items but not with the QLQ-H&N35 items. Moderate or strong correlations were observed in 37 % of QLQ-C30 and EQ-5D-5L domain comparisons, while 18 % of QLQ-H&N35 and EQ-5D-5L domain comparisons showed moderate correlations. However, multiple regression analysis revealed that the QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35 scales explained 66.3 % of the EQ-5D-5L index variance, indicating a substantial relationship between these instruments.

Conclusions: The EORTC domains meaningfully explain the EQ-5D-5L index. These findings support using the EQ-5D-5L to calculate quality-adjusted life years for patients with oropharyngeal cancer and facilitate economic evaluations that inform clinical practice and policymaking.