Development of a Skin Cancer Quality of Life Insturment

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Malignancies of the skin are the most common cancers among humans. Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), which include basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, have reached epidemic proportions in the United States and are now a major public health concern. The cervicofacial region is most affected by cutaneous malignancies, with approximately 80 percent of NMSC occurring in the head and neck. Treatment of cervicofacial skin cancers also is more likely to result in significant patient morbidity, because of the functional and cosmetic importance of this region. Adverse consequences may include physical, functional deficits, as well as, psychosocial issues related to potential disfigurement. Unlike other malignancies, skin cancer has not been well investigated in terms of patient quality of life (QOL) assessment. Furthermore, no validated disease-specific QOL instrument currently exists for skin cancer. Our proposed study seeks to fill this gap by creating and beginning the initial validation of a disease-specific instrument to measure QOL issues relevant for NMSC patients and initiating the process of determining the QOL of patients with NMSC using the newly developed scale.