Evaluating the ability to detect change of health-related quality of life in children with Hodgkin disease.
BACKGROUND
We evaluated 4 different health-related quality of life (HRQL) measures prospectively to determine their ability to detect change over time: the Health Utilities Index Mark 2 and Mark 3, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core and Cancer Module, the EuroQol EQ-5D visual analogue scale (EuroQol), and the Lansky Play-Performance Scale.


METHODS
Children with all stages of Hodgkin disease from 12 centers across Canada were asked to complete the 4 measures at 4 time points: 2 weeks after the first course of chemotherapy, on the third day of the second course of chemotherapy, during the third week of radiation, and 1 year after diagnosis.


RESULTS
Fifty-one patients were enrolled in the study between May 1, 2002 and March 31, 2005. Two patients were excluded: 1 patient died shortly after the first time point and the other patient failed to complete any of the questionnaires. All measures showed a significant change between Time 1 and Time 4 (<0.05). When the change in child scores was analyzed between the time points using the child's self-reported change in HRQL, the PedsQL and the EuroQol showed significant change at all time points.


CONCLUSIONS
All of the measures were able to detect change in a diverse group of children with Hodgkin disease. The PedsQL and the EuroQol appeared to be the most sensitive to change.
Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8L1. rklaassen@cheo.on.ca
Robert J
RJ
Klaassen
Murray
M
Krahn
Isabelle
I
Gaboury
Joanna
J
Hughes
Ronald
R
Anderson
Paul
P
Grundy
S Kaiser
SK
Ali
Lawrence
L
Jardine
Oussama
O
Abla
Mariana
M
Silva
Dorothy
D
Barnard
Mario
M
Cappelli
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life