Clinical and psychometric validation of a questionnaire module, the EORTC QLQ-OG25, to assess health-related quality of life in patients with cancer of the oesophagus, the oesophago-gastric junction and the stomach.
OBJECTIVE
To combine and test the EORTC questionnaires for assessing quality of life (HRQL) for oesophageal (QLQ-OES18) and stomach cancer (QLQ-STO22), into a single questionnaire for tumours of the oesophagus, oesophago-gastric junction or stomach.


METHODS
The QLQ-OES18, QLQ-STO22 and seven modified items were administered to 300 patients with oesophageal (n=148), junctional (n=66), or gastric cancer (n=86). Semi-structured interviews assessed item and scale preference and multi-trait scaling analyses confirmed the scale structure of the new module (QLQ-OG25). This was further tested for validity.


RESULTS
The QLQ-OG25 has six scales, dysphagia, eating restrictions, reflux, odynophagia, pain and anxiety. Scales have good reliability (alpha range 0.67-0.87) and they distinguish between tumour sites and disease stage. Scales do not correlate highly with scores from the core questionnaire, thus indicating that the module was addressing separate HRQL aspects.


CONCLUSIONS
The QLQ-OG25 is recommended to supplement the EORTC QLQ-C30 when assessing HRQL in patients with oesophageal, junctional or gastric cancer.
Lagergren
Pernilla
P
Department of Social Medicine at South Bristol, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Fayers
Peter
P
Conroy
Thierry
T
Stein
Hubert J
HJ
Sezer
Orhan
O
Hardwick
Richard
R
Hammerlid
Eva
E
Bottomley
Andrew
A
Van Cutsem
Eric
E
Blazeby
Jane M
JM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D004943:Esophagogastric Junction; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000523:psychology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*