title: Patients' acceptance and psychometric properties of the EORTC QLQ-CX24 after surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' acceptance and the reliability and validity of a recently developed instrument to assess quality of life among cervical cancer patients, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Cervical Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-CX24), in surgically treated patients after primary surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  The EORTC QLQ-CX24 was administered to 134 cervical cancer patients who had undergone pelvic surgery. Additional questionnaires completed were the EORTC QLQ-C30, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Sociodemographic and medical data were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Missing values occurred in 4.5% of all non-optional items. Internal consistencies (Cronbach's alpha coefficients) for the three multi-item scales ranged from 0.70 to 0.87 (Symptom Experience 0.70, Body Image 0.87, Sexual/Vaginal Functioning 0.76), whereas scaling errors occurred in 6.8%, 0.0%, and 6.3% of the cases. In all domains, the entire range of the scale was used by patients. The scales were able to discriminate between different subgroups of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These psychometric analyses confirm that the EORTC QLQ-CX24 is a useful tool for the assessment of quality of life in cervical cancer patients after surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Leipzig, Germany. susanne.singer@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuhnt
authors.forename: Azadeh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Momenghalibaf
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stuhr
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dimmel-Hennersdorf
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Köhler
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Einenkel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*