Development of a core quality of life questionnaire for use in cancer clinical trials

The Royal Adelaide Hospital has played a significant role in field testing a new quality of life questionnaire (QLQ) designed for use in European Organisation for Research and Treatment in Cancer (EORTC) cancer clinical trials. The quality of life (QL) for patients during and after treatment is at last receiving increasing attention. The specific aims of the study have been to determine (i) the statistical validity and reliability of a core QLQ, (ii) the cross-cultural validity of a core QLQ, (iii) the validity and reliability of a lung cancer specific QLQ module that would complement the core instrument when applied in lung cancer clinical trials. QL is viewed as a collective term representing a set of related, interacting dimensions.

This implies the development of modules to assess physical symptoms common to many cancers and treatment modalities, functional status, psychological distress and social interaction. These modules could then be combined to form a core QLQ that would have broad applicability across research situations. Additional diseases and treatment specific symptom modules could then complement the core instrument. Adoption of this approach would reconcile the two principal requirements of QL assessment in cancer clinical trials, a sufficient degree of generalisability to allow for cross-study comparisons, and a level of specificity adequate for answering those questions of particular relevance in a given clinical trial.

Associated Publication(s):
Bergman B, Aaronson NK, Ahmedzai S, Kaasa S, Sullivan M. The EORTC QLQ-LC13: A modular supplement to the EORTC core quality of life questionnaire (QLQ-C30) for use in lung cancer clinical trials. European Journal of Cancer 1994; 30(5): 635-642