Abstract
The aim of our study was to undertake a prospective validation study of the Polish version of the EORTC ovarian cancer (EORTC QLQ-OV28) module used together with the EORTC QLQ-C30. The translated module was pilot-tested according to the EORTC guidelines. Patients with histological confirmation of ovarian cancer were eligible for the study. All patients filled out the Polish version of the EORTC QLQ-OV28, the EORTC QLQ-C30 and a demographic questionnaire. Standard validity and reliability analyses were performed. One-hundred and forty patients agreed to take part in the study (mean age ± standard deviation: 63.3 ± 10.2 years). Cronbach's alpha coefficients showed positive internal consistency (0.78–0.91). Interclass correlations for the EORTC QLQ-OV28 ranged from 0.77 to 0.93 and proved appropriate test-retest reliability. Satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity in multi-trait scaling analyses was seen. The Polish version of the EORTC QLQ-OV28 module proved to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring health-related quality of life in patients with ovarian cancer.
Author contributions
J Paradowski was responsible for study planning, data collection, analysis and interpretation of data. K Tomaszewski was responsible for study planning, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting and revising the manuscript. K Bereza was responsible for data collection, analysis and interpretation of data. IM Tomaszewska was responsible for study planning, analysis and interpretation of data and drafting the manuscript. A Pasternak was responsible for data collection, analysis and interpretation of data and searching bibliographic databases. D Paradowska was responsible for data collection, analysis and interpretation of data. E Szczęsny was responsible for data collection, analysis and interpretation of data. EB Golec was responsible for study planning, analysis and interpretation of data and obtaining funds. ER Greimel was responsible for analysis and interpretation of data and critical revision of the manuscript. A Bottomley was responsible for analysis and interpretation of data and critical revision of the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
This study has been funded using Jagiellonian University statutory funds. A Bottomley is an author of the EORTC QLG measurement system. These tools are provided free to academics, but the EORTC charges a user fee for the use of the EORTC QLQ-C30 in industry-sponsored research in order to cover the cost of future psychometric validation, testing and translation of HRQoL tools. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.
Approximately 225,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed worldwide each year. Five-year survival is estimated to be around 70% for early stage patients, compared with 10–15% for advanced stage patients.
With a growing emphasis on the need for evidence-based practice and for involving patients in treatment decision-making, patient-reported health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) outcomes have become critical in cancer care.
The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 is a psychometrically robust, cross-culturally accepted questionnaire, which was designed to be applicable to a broad spectrum of cancer patients. It is meant to be used together with its additional module, specific for patients with ovarian cancer – the EORTC QLQ-OV28.
In this prospective study, we aimed to specifically focus on validating the EORTC QLQ-OV28 questionnaire to confirm that the tool is an acceptable and psychometrically robust measure to collect HRQoL data in Polish patients with ovarian cancer.
The results of our study indicate that the Polish version of the EORTC QLQ-OV28 demonstrates good agreement with the original questionnaire. The findings described in this study show and confirm that the EORTC QLQ-OV28 is a reliable tool with adequate levels of cross-cultural validity, and thus might be applicable to other languages and cultures as well. It can be fully recommended for use in clinical and epidemiological settings in the Polish population.