Responsiveness of the EQ-5D in breast cancer patients in their first year after treatment.
OBJECTIVE
The EQ-5D is a generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measure that is used for the purpose of economic evaluations of health interventions. Therefore, it has to be responsive to meaningful changes in health in the patient population under investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the responsiveness of the EQ-5D in breast cancer patients in their first year after treatment.


METHODS
The subscale global health of the disease-specific HRQoL measure EORTC QLQ-C30 was used as a reference instrument to determine meaningful changes in health and identify subgroups of patients: patients reporting a moderate-large deterioration, small deterioration, a small improvement, moderate-large improvement, or no change in health status. Responsiveness was evaluated by calculating standardized response means (SRMs) in the five subgroups of patients and performing analysis of variance procedures. The two HRQoL measures were filled out two weeks and one year after finalizing curative treatment for breast cancer (n = 192).


RESULTS
The EQ-5D was able to capture both improvements and deteriorations in HRQoL. SRMs of the EQ VAS and EQ-5D Index were close to zero in the subgroup reporting no change and increased and decreased adequately in the subgroups reporting small and moderate changes. Additional analysis of variance procedures showed that the EQ-5D was able to differentiate between subgroups of patients with no change and moderate-large deterioration or improvement in health.


CONCLUSIONS
The EQ-5D seems an appropriate measure for the purpose of economic evaluations of health intervention in breast cancer patients after treatment.


BACKGROUND
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN74071417.
Kimman
Merel L
ML
MAASTRO Clinic, School for Oncology and Developmental Biology (GROW), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands. merel.kimman@maastro.nl
Dirksen
Carmen D
CD
Lambin
Philippe
P
Boersma
Liesbeth J
LJ
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires