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Validation of the 7‐item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy‐General (FACT‐G7) as a short measure of quality of life in patients with advanced cancer
Author(s) -
Mah Kenneth,
Swami Nadia,
Le Lisa W.,
Chow Ronald,
Han Breffni L.,
Rodin Gary,
Zimmermann Camilla
Publication year - 2020
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.32981
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , cronbach's alpha , palliative care , cancer , randomized controlled trial , intervention (counseling) , physical therapy , psychometrics , clinical psychology , gerontology , psychiatry , nursing
Background Assessing quality of life is essential for individuals with advanced cancer, but lengthy assessments can be burdensome. The authors investigated the psychometric characteristics of the FACT‐G7, a 7‐item quality‐of‐life measure derived from the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy‐General (FACT‐G) scale, in advanced cancer. Methods Data were obtained from outpatients with advanced cancer who were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of early palliative care. At baseline, 228 intervention participants and 233 control participants (N = 461) completed the FACT‐G and measures of symptom severity, quality of life near the end of life, problematic medical communication, and satisfaction with care. Follow‐up measures were administered monthly for 4 months. Results The FACT‐G7 showed good internal consistency (Cronbach α = .72‐.80), and its single‐factor structure was supported. It correlated strongly with the FACT‐G total, physical, and functional indices and with symptom severity (absolute r = 0.73‐0.92); more moderately with the FACT‐G emotional index and with symptom impact and preparation for the end of life ( r = .40‐.71); and least with the FACT‐G social/family index and with relationship with health care provider, life completion, problematic medical communication, and care satisfaction measures (absolute r = .26‐.44). Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status groups differed on FACT‐G7 scores, as expected (all P < .001). Improvements in FACT‐G7 scores in the intervention group compared with the control group at 3‐month ( P = .049) and 4‐month ( P = .034) follow‐up supported responsiveness to change and somewhat greater sensitivity than the FACT‐G scores. Conclusions The FACT‐G7 is a valid, brief measure particularly of the physical and functional facets of quality of life. It may enable rapid quality‐of‐life assessments in patients with advanced cancer.