title: A preliminary study of a health related quality of life assessment of priority symptoms in advanced lymphoma: the National Comprehensive Cancer Network-Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Lymphoma Symptom Index.
abstract: Despite the recent advances in cancer therapeutics for lymphoma (Lym), a continuum of disease, treatment and psychological challenges, adversely impacting health-related quality of life, remain for the clinical management of the patient with Lym. In response, this study presents the development and validation of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network-Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (NCCN-FACT) Lymphoma Symptom Index-18 (FLymSI-18). Patients with advanced Lym (n = 50) rated the significance of 40 symptoms, and hematologist-oncologists (n = 10) rated these symptoms according to importance and disease-related or treatment-related origin. Patient symptom priorities were unified with clinician priorities for symptom measurement in Lym for instrument development. Reliability estimates indicate that FLymSI-18 has acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.87), content validity and concurrent validity as indicated by moderate to strong correlations with the FACIT (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy). Overall, the FLymSI-18 provides evidence for its reliability and validity as a brief assessment of the most important symptoms associated with advanced Lym in the clinical trial research environment.
authors: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, Evanston, IL, USA. fhlubock@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
authors: Fay J
authors: FJ
authors: Hlubocky
authors: Kimberly
authors: K
authors: Webster
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Beaumont
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Cashy
authors: Diane
authors: D
authors: Paul
authors: Amy
authors: A
authors: Abernethy
authors: Karen L
authors: KL
authors: Syrjala
authors: Jamie
authors: J
authors: Von Roenn
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Cella
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors