title: The EORTC module for quality of life in patients with thyroid cancer: phase III.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to pilot-test a questionnaire measuring health-related quality of life (QoL) in thyroid cancer patients to be used with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30. A provisional questionnaire with 47 items was administered to patients treated for thyroid cancer within the last 2 years. Patients were interviewed about time and help needed to complete the questionnaire, and whether they found the items understandable, confusing or annoying. Items were kept in the questionnaire if they fulfilled pre-defined criteria: relevant to the patients, easy to understand, not confusing, few missing values, neither floor nor ceiling effects, and high variance. A total of 182 thyroid cancer patients in 15 countries participated (n= 115 with papillary,n= 31 with follicular,n= 22 with medullary,n= 6 with anaplastic, andn= 8 with other types of thyroid cancer). Sixty-six percent of the patients needed 15 min or less to complete the questionnaire. Of the 47 items, 31 fulfilled the predefined criteria and were kept unchanged, 14 were removed, and 2 were changed. Shoulder dysfunction was mentioned by 5 patients as missing and an item covering this issue was added. To conclude, the EORTC quality of life module for thyroid cancer (EORTC QLQ-THY34) is ready for the final validation phase IV.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Biostatistics Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI)University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany singers@uni-mainz.de.|University Cancer CentreMainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.affiliation: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteHerston, Australia.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.affiliation: Head & Neck Medical Oncology UnitFondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Locati
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation UnitDepartment of Quality of Life, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori 'Fondazione Giovanni Pascale' - IRCCS, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical EducationJagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Iwona M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Tomaszewska
authors.affiliation: Service of Surgical OncologyInstituto Português do Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck SurgerySahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hammerlid
authors.affiliation: Department of Psycho-OncologyResource Centre for Tobacco Control, Cancer Institute (WIA), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vidhubala
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical PsychologyRadboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Husson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology and HematologyKobe University Hospital, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kiyota
authors.affiliation: Mount Vernon Cancer CentreEast & North Herts NHS Trust, Northwood, London, UK.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brannan
authors.affiliation: Clinical OncologyFaculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear MedicineMedical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck Institute of Patient-Centred Outcome Research, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Gamper
authors.affiliation: Oncology DepartmentsComplejo Hospitalario de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Ignacio
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Arraras
authors.affiliation: Oncology DepartmentNicosia General Hospital, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ioannidis
authors.affiliation: Surgery DepartmentJules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andry
authors.affiliation: Clinic of OtorhinolaryngologyJena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Inhestern
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation OncologyInstitut de Recherche Experimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, St-Luc University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Grégoire
authors.affiliation: Head & Neck Medical Oncology UnitFondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Licitra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors
keywords: anaplastic; follicular; medullary; papillary; patient-reported outcomes; quality of life; thyroid cancer