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The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality‐of‐Life questionnaire cervical cancer module
Author(s) -
Greimel Elfriede R.,
Kuljanic Vlasic Karin,
Waldenstrom AnnCharlotte,
Duric Vlatka M.,
Jensen Pernille T.,
Singer Susanne,
Chie Weichu,
Nordin Andy,
Bjelic Radisic Vesna,
Wydra Dariusz
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.22217
Subject(s) - medicine , cervical cancer , quality of life (healthcare) , cronbach's alpha , cancer , discriminant validity , clinical trial , construct validity , physical therapy , psychometrics , clinical psychology , nursing , internal consistency
BACKGROUND The authors report on the development and validation of a cervical cancer module for the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality‐of‐Life (QoL) questionnaire (QLQ), which was designed to assess disease‐specific and treatment‐specific aspects of QoL in patients with cervical cancer. METHODS The cervical cancer module (EORTC QLQ‐CX24) was developed in a multicultural, multidisciplinary setting to supplement the EORTC QLQ‐C30 core questionnaire. The QLQ‐C30 and the cervical cancer module were administered to 346 patients with cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy and received radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Psychometric analyses were performed by using data from 2 independent samples. RESULTS The QLQ‐CX24 consists of 3 multiitem scales and 5 single‐item scales. Multitrait scaling analyses revealed high internal consistencies for the subscales with Cronbach α coefficients ranging from .72 to .87 (Symptom Experience, .72; Body Image, .86; Sexual/Vaginal Functioning, .87). Convergent and discriminant validity were fulfilled with scaling errors below 3%. The QLQ‐CX24 was capable of discriminating between clinical subgroups. All items exhibited good compliance with <3% missing values. Most patients completed the EORTC QLQ‐C30 and the QLQ‐CX24 in <15 minutes (86%), and many did not require any assistance to complete the questionnaires (65%). CONCLUSIONS The current psychometric analyses supported the content and construct validity and the reliability of the EORTC QLQ‐CX24 module. This newly developed module is a useful instrument for assessing the QoL of patients who are treated for cervical cancer both in clinical trials and in clinical practice. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.