title: Validation of a sternal skin conductance criterion for measuring hot flashes in breast cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to establish the sternal skin conductance level (SCL) increase that would optimally detect hot flashes among breast cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six women who had completed a similar treatment protocol for a first diagnosis of breast cancer within the previous 3 months wore an ambulatory sternal skin conductance device for one home-based daytime recording of hot flashes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 199 hot flashes were reported by the participants using the event marker. A 2-μS (μmho) SCL increase within a 30-second period, the criterion typically used, had a sensitivity of only 32% and a specificity of 97%. Comparatively, the alternative criterion proposed here, a 1.2-μmho SCL increase, yielded a sensitivity of 61% and a specificity of 90%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides evidence that a lower SCL criterion should be used to better detect objectively recorded hot flashes among breast cancer patients. Further work is needed to validate the proposed criterion among this population.
authors.affiliation: From the 1Laval University Cancer Research Center, Québec, Canada; 2Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Canada; and 3School of Psychology, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Marie-Hélène
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Savard
authors.forename: Josée
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Savard
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ivers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory; D011792:Quebec; D012372:ROC Curve; D013249:Sternum