Development of the Berlin Symptom Checklist Ovary (BSCL-O) for the measurement of quality of life of patients with primary and recurrent ovarian cancer: results of a phase I and II study.
OBJECTIVE
Quality of life (Qol) represents a relevant end point in the clinical management of advanced ovarian cancer (AOC). However, there exist only a few specific instruments which have been designed for patients with ovarian cancer. The aim of this study was to develop a systematic checklist (Berlin Symptom Checklist Ovary (BSCL-O)) as an instrument of Qol for patients with AOC and to discriminate between the frequency and the importance of symptoms.


METHODS
The main symptoms were identified in a phase I study via free interviews of five patients with ovarian cancer (OC) as well as five medical doctors, family dependent, and care workers. In the phase II study, the capability of BSCL-O was evaluated by questionnaire-guided interviews of 200 patients with primary OC, recurrent OC, metastasized breast cancer, and benign ovarian tumors.


RESULTS
In phase I, 36 main symptoms were identified. In phase II, 7,200 answers from 98.5% of all patients were evaluable. Of the 36 symptoms of the BSCL-O, 23 revealed clinical relevance. There was a correlation of frequency and importance of symptoms (p < 0.05). The symptoms of the BSCL-O were deemed twice as strenuous in patients with recurrent OC.


CONCLUSIONS
The BSCL-O can measure Qol of patients with OC. The BSCL-O is being validated in a phase III study.
Koensgen
Dominique
D
Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Hospital Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Oskay-Oezcelik
Guelten
G
Katsares
Ioanna
I
Walle
Ulla
U
Klapp
Christine
C
Mustea
Alexander
A
Stengel
Dirk
D
Porzsolt
Franz
F
Lichtenegger
Werner
W
Sehouli
Jalid
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires