The international phase 4 validation study of the EORTC QLQ-SWB32: A stand-alone measure of spiritual well-being for people receiving palliative care for cancer

The EORTC Quality of Life Group has just completed the final phase (field‐testing and validation) of an international project to develop a stand‐alone measure of spiritual well‐being (SWB) for palliative cancer patients. Participants (n = 451)—from 14 countries on four continents; 54% female; 188 Christian; 50 Muslim; 156 with no religion—completed a provisional 36‐item measure of SWB plus the EORTC QLQ‐C15‐PAL (PAL), then took part in a structured debriefing interview. All items showed good score distribution across response categories. We assessed scale structure using principal component analysis and Rasch analysis, and explored construct validity, and convergent/divergent validity with …

Quality of Life in Patients With Hypoparathyroidism After Treatment for Thyroid Cancer.

Abstract Purpose Surgical complications such as hypoparathyroidism (HPT) or vocal cord palsy are seldom assessed when the quality of life (QOL) in thyroid cancer patients is investigated. The aim of this study was to measure the QOL difference in thyroid cancer survivors with and without HPT. Methods Participants for this analysis were enrolled in 13 countries from a study that pilot-tested a thyroid cancer–specific QOL instrument. They were included if they had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer at least 9 months previously. QOL was measured using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core (EORTC QLQ-C30) and some items on HPT symptoms…

Psychometric properties of the updated EORTC module for assessing quality of life in patients with lung cancer (QLQ-LC29): an international, observational field study

Abstract: Background The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Lung Cancer 13 (QLQ-LC13) assesses quality of life (QOL) in patients with lung cancer and was the first EORTC module developed for use in international clinical trials. Since its publication in 1994, major treatment advances with possible effects on QOL have occurred. These changes called for an update of the module and its international psychometric validation. We aimed to investigate the scale structure and psychometric properties of the updated lung cancer module, QLQ-LC29, in patients with lung cancer. Methods This international, observational field study was done in…

The EORTC computer-adaptive tests measuring physical functioning and fatigue exhibited high levels of measurement precision and efficiency

Objectives: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Group is developing a computer-adaptive test (CAT) version of the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30). We evaluated the measurement properties of the CAT versions of physical functioning (PF) and fatigue (FA) and compared these with the corresponding QLQ-C30 scales. Study Design and Setting: Based on international samples of more than 1,000 cancer patients, we simulated CAT administration of varying numbers of items and compared the resulting scores with those based on all items in the respective item pools. Furthermore, the relative validity (RV) of CATs was compared with that of th…

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A CROSS-CULTURAL EORTC MEASURE OF SPIRITUAL WELLBEING (SWB) FOR PALLIATIVE CARE PATIENTS WITH CANCER

Introduction Spiritual care and spiritual wellbeing (SWB) are central to palliative care, but no measures of SWB have yet been developed cross-culturally. Aim(s) and method(s) In 2002 the EORTC Quality of Life (QL) Group began international development of an SWB measure for palliative patients. Three domains of SWB were initially hypothesised, and items developed accordingly. Data for Phase IV field-testing and validation of the measure were collected from January 2012 to July 2013. Participants completed the 36-item provisional SWB measure and a structured debriefing interview. EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL, socio-demographic and clinical data were also collected, and a sub-set of test-retest data. Th…

Associations between sex, age and spiritual well-being scores on the EORTC QLQ-SWB32 for patients receiving palliative care for cancer: A further analysis of data from an international validation study

Objective: The EORTC QOL Group has recently completed the cross-cultural development and validation of a standalone measure of spiritual well-being (SWB) for cancer patients receiving palliative care: the EORTC QLQ-SWB32. The measure includes four scales: Relationships with Others, Relationship with Self, Relationship with Someone or Something Greater, and Existential, plus a Global-SWB item. This paper reports on further research investigating relationships between sex, age and SWB for patients receiving palliative care for cancer—adjusting for other socio-demographic, clinical and function variables, including WHO performance status and EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL emotional and physical function sc…

Measuring quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer: Update of the EORTC QLQ-H&N Module, Phase III

Background The objective of this study was to pilot test an updated version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Head and Neck Module (EORTC QLQ-H&N60). Methods Patients with head and neck cancer were asked to complete a list of 60 head and neck cancer-specific items comprising the updated EORTC head and neck module and the core questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30. Debriefing interviews were conducted to identify any irrelevant items and confusing or upsetting wording. Results Interviews were performed with 330 patients from 17 countries, representing different head and neck cancer sites and treatments. Forty-one of the 60 items were retain…

The EORTC module for quality of life in patients with thyroid cancer: phase III

The purpose of the study was to pilot-test a questionnaire measuring health-related quality of life (QoL) in thyroid cancer patients to be used with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30. A provisional questionnaire with 47 items was administered to patients treated for thyroid cancer within the last 2 years. Patients were interviewed about time and help needed to complete the questionnaire, and whether they found the items understandable, confusing or annoying. Items were kept in the questionnaire if they fulfilled pre-defined criteria: relevant to the patients, easy to understand, not confusing, few missing values, neither …

What Does Spiritual Wellbeing Mean to You? Understandings of International Participants in the Validation Study for the EORTC QLQ-SWB32: An EORTC Measure of Spiritual Wellbeing for Palliative Care Patients