Lancet Oncol: Quality of Life Assessment Update (QLQ-LC29) for Lung Cancer Patients

The European Organization for Cancer Research and Treatment (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Lung Cancer 13 (QLQ-LC13) assessed the quality of life (QOL) in lung cancer patients and was the first EORTC module developed for international clinical trialsSince its release in 1994, significant treatments have emerged that could have an impact on QOLThese changes require an update of the module and its international psychometricsWe aim to study the scale structure and psychometric characteristics of the updated lung cancer module QLQ-LC29 in lung cancer patientsEORTC life quality measurement scale QLQ-C30 (V3.0)lung cancer patients' quality of life measurement scale (FACT-L 4)long-term quality of life assessment (Karnofsky Scale Performance, KPS)QLQ-LC29QL is updated on the basis of QQ-LC13, mainly to enhance the assessment of psychological changesthe international field observation study was conducted in 19 hospitals in 12 countriesPatients over the age of 18, diagnosed with lung cancer, no other primary tumors, good mental state, sufficient language skills to understand and complete the questionnaire were included in the studyPatients were asked to fill out the paper-based core questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30 plus QLQ-LC29 when they were admitted to the hospital, and the researchers selected half of them to fill out the questionnaire again after 2-4 weeksOur main objective is to evaluate the scale structure and psychometric characteristics of EORTC QLQ-LC29We analyzed the scale structure using validation factor analysis, the reliability of the gauge using Cronbach's alpha value (internal consistency) and intra-class coefficient (remeasurement of reliability), the sensitivity analysis using an independent t-test hierarchical by Karnofsky's performance state, and the aNOVA analysis of responsiveness over timeThe study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02745691recruited 523 patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (n - 442) or small cell lung cancer (n - 81) between April 12, 2016 and September 26, 2018The validation factor analysis provides a solution consisting of five item dimensions (cough, shortness of breath, fear progression, hair problems and surgically related symptoms) plus 15 individual symptoms or side effects items, with a total square root approximate error of 0.075, and a comparison index of 0.901 The internal consistency of the Cronbach alpha for all multi-dimensional scales is above the threshold of 0.70 The reliability of the intra-class coefficient range is between 0.82 and 0.97 Three of the five dimensions (shortness of breath, fear progression, and hair problems) showed responsiveness over time (p value 0.05), while nine of the 15 single symptom items did the same Four of the five dimensions (cough, shortness of breath, progression of fear and symptoms associated with surgery) and ten of the 15 single symptom items were sensitive to known group differences (i.e lower Karnofsky performance and higher Karnofsky performance) Results The psychometric characteristics of the updated lung cancer module were determined and can be used in international clinical studies