Design of an individualised questionnaire to measure the impact of cancer on quality of life: The cancer dependent quality of life (CancerDQoL) questionnaire (original) (raw)

Comparison of two quality of life instruments for cancer patients: the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index and the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30

Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology, 2008

Health-related quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients cannot be adequately captured with a single instrument. We compared the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index (QLI). We hypothesized that there would be little overlap among their subscales. Baseline QoL data were collected from a consecutive series of 954 cancer patients treated at our center. Data from the two questionnaires were analyzed on a subscale basis using correlation analysis and the Bland-Altman method. The mean and standard deviations of the difference in QoL subscale scores were used to construct 95% limits of agreement among the subscales. Five hundred seventy-nine were females and 375 were males, with a median age of 52 years. There were poor to modest correlations and poor agreement among the subscales of the two instruments. For QLQ-C30 physical and QLI health, the correlation and limits of agreeme...

Development of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire module for older people with cancer: The EORTC QLQ-ELD15

European Journal of Cancer, 2010

Elderly Neoplasm A B S T R A C T Background and aim: There is a lack of instruments that focus on the specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) issues that affect older people with cancer. The aim of this study was to develop a HRQOL questionnaire module to supplement the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire, the EORTC QLQ-C30 for older (>70 years) patients with cancer. Methods: Phases 1-3 were conducted in seven countries following modified EORTC Quality of Life Group guidelines for module development. Phase 1: potentially relevant issues were identified by a systematic literature review, a questionnaire survey of 17 multi-disciplinary health professionals and two rounds of qualitative interviews. The first round included 9 patients aged >70. The second round was a comparative series of interviews with 49 patients >70 years with a range of cancer diagnoses and 40 patients aged 50-69 years matched for gender and disease site. In Phase 2 the issues were formulated into a long provisional item list. This was administered in Phase 3 together with the QLQ-C30 to two further groups of cancer patients aged >70 (n = 97) or 50-69 years (n = 85) to determine importance, relevance and acceptability of each item. Redundant and duplicate items were removed; issues specific to the older group were selected for the final questionnaire. 0959-8049/$ -see front matter Ó a v a i l a b l e a t w w w . s c i e n c e d i r e c t . c o m j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e j c o n l i n e . c o m Results: In Phase 1, 75 issues were identified. These were reduced in Phase 2 to create a 45 item provisional list. Phase 3 testing of the provisional list led to selection of 15 items with good range of response, and high scores of importance and relevance in the older patients.

Understanding the quality of life (QOL) issues in survivors of cancer: towards the development of an EORTC QOL cancer survivorship questionnaire

Health and quality of life outcomes, 2018

The number of cancer survivors is growing steadily and increasingly, clinical trials are being designed to include long-term follow-up to assess not only survival, but also late effects and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Therefore it is is essential to develop patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) that capture the full range of issues relevant to disease-free cancer survivors. The objectives of this project are: 1) to develop a European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) questionnaire that captures the full range of physical, mental and social HRQOL issues relevant to disease-free cancer survivors; and 2) to determine at which minimal time since completion of treatment the questionnaire should be used. We reviewed 134 publications on cancer survivorship and interviewed 117 disease-free cancer survivors with 11 different types of cancer across 14 countries in Europe to generate an exhaustive, provisional list of HRQOL issues relevant to cancer surv...

Quality of life among cancer patients at Queen Elizabeth and Kamuzu Central Hospitals in Malawi: a cross-sectional double-center study

African Health Sciences

Introduction: Many cancer patients experience psychosocial challenges that affect quality of life during the trajectory of their disease process. We aimed at estimating quality of life among cancer patients at two major tertiary hospitals in Malawi. Methods: The study was conducted among 398 cancer patients using semi-structured questionnaire. Quality of life was measured using EQ-5D-3L instrument. Results: Mean age was 45 years ± 12.77. Pain (44%) was the most prevalent problem experienced by cancer patients. About 23% had worst imaginable health status on the subjective visual analogues scale. Attending cancer services at QECH (AOR=0.29, 95% CI: 0.17-0.54, p<0.001) and having normal weight (AOR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.08-0.74, p = 0.012), were associated with improved quality of life. A history of ever taken alcohol (AOR= 2.36, 95% CI: 1.02-5.44, p = 0.045) and multiple disease comorbidities (AOR= 3.78, 95% CI: 1.08-13.12, p = 0.037) were associated with poor quality of life. Conclusio...

Perceived health-related quality of life among patients living with cancer at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Malawi

Patients living with cancer and their families experience several challenges that affect their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Perceived factors affecting quality of life (QOL) among people living with cancer have rarely been studied. We aimed at exploring the factors perceived to be associated with health-related quality of life among people living with cancer attending to a National Cancer Centre at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Malawi. Between May and June 2022, we conducted a qualitative study to assess perceptions and the in-depth lived experiences for people living with cancer, caregivers and healthcare workers at the cancer center on health-related quality of life. We purposively selected and interviewed thirteen participants. Interviews were transcribed, coded using NVivo 12 and analyzed using thematic analysis. Two broad categories of emerging themes of quality of life were identified. These included: (a) individual level factors such as experiences with diagnosis and ...

Assessing the acceptability, reliability, and validity of the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) in Kenyan cancer patients: a cross-sectional study

Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background In oncology practice, eliciting the patient’s perspective on their quality of life (QOL) adds important information and value to their treatment and care. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) is the most commonly used tool for this purpose but has not been validated in Kenya. The present study aimed to conduct a preliminary assessment of the QOL among Kenyan cancer patients and examine the psychometric properties of the tool in this population. One hundred patients with heterogeneous types of cancer were enrolled in this cross-sectional study between July and August 2019. The EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire was administered to patients using either the English or Kiswahili official version. Descriptive statistics were used to assess patient demographics and clinical characteristics. The psychometric properties of the EORTC QLQ-C30 were evaluated in terms of acceptability, internal consistency, and construct validity ...

Methodological issues related to assessing and measuring quality of life in patients with cancer: implications for patient care

European Journal of Cancer Care, 2007

Consideration of quality-of-life issues by all members of the healthcare team is essential in caring for people with cancer. In cancer research, quality of life is generally classified as health-related quality of life or individual quality of life. This paper discusses the instruments used to measure quality-of-life outcomes, and the relevance of such findings for healthcare staff in planning and providing effective and patient-centred care. Visual analogue scales (VASs) and questionnaires are commonly used to measure quality of life; however, both types of instruments are criticized because the content may not be relevant to individual patients, and do not distinguish differences between statistical and clinical significances in the findings. Using a combination of questionnaires and VASs may overcome some of these criticisms. In order to interpret the difference between statistical and clinical significance of findings and the associated implications for patient care, a mixedmethods approach to data collection is recommended in quality-of-life studies. This provides meaning and understanding to the quantitative data and individual perspectives on patients' experiences of having cancer. Information from such studies may also be more effective in helping healthcare staff identify relevant issues when planning cancer care services at individual, local and national level.