Vanderbilt Head and Neck Symptom Survey Version 2.0 (VHNSS 2.0): A tool for the study of long-term oral health consequences of therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC).

Abstract

9055 Background: HNC therapy causes adverse late oral health outcomes (LOHO), the prevalence, severity, and functional implications of which are largely unknown. VHNSS 1.0 was developed to measure treatment-related symptom burden, but common LOHO were not included. We report the development of a LOHO subscale. Methods: Questions were developed by an expert panel and review of oral health measures for the general population. Final tool included 50 items which scored symptoms or functional manifestations from 0 (none) to 10 (severe). It was administered to 70 subjects who completed radiation ± chemotherapy. Results: Completion time <10 minutes. To focus on late effects, we report on 48 participants ≥ 6 months post-treatment. 60% reported moderate/severe (M/S) xerostomia which impacted chewing/swallowing (54%), speaking (39%), and sleeping (30%). 44% reported M/S thick mucous resulting in choking/gagging (22%), difficulty swallowing (22%), and altered sleep (15%). 28% reported M/S voice changes with hoarsene...