Cross-cultural development of the EORTC QLQ-SWB36: A stand-alone measure of spiritual wellbeing for palliative care patients with cancer

Abstract Purpose The aims of the present study were to investigate the symptom clusters in terminally ill patients with cancer using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative Care (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL), and to examine whether these symptom clusters influenced prognosis. Methods We analyzed data from 130 cancer patients hospitalized in the palliative care unit from June 2018 to December 2019 in an observational study. Principal component analysis was used to detect symptom clusters using the scored date of 14 items in the QLQ-C15-PAL, except for overall QOL, at the time of hospitalization. The influence of the existence of these symptom clusters and Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) on survival was analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, and survival curves were compared between the groups with or without existing corresponding symptom clusters using the log-rank test. Results The following symptom clusters were identified: cluster 1 (pain, insomnia, emotional functioning), cluster 2 (dyspnea, appetite loss, fatigue, and nausea), and cluster 3 (physical functioning). Cronbach’s alpha values for the symptom clusters ranged from 0.72 to 0.82. An increased risk of death was significantly associated with the existence of cluster 2 and poor PPS (log-rank test, p = 0.016 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion In terminally ill patients with cancer, three symptom clusters were detected based on QLQ-C15-PAL scores. Poor PPS and the presence of symptom cluster that includes dyspnea, appetite loss, fatigue, and nausea indicated poor prognosis.

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Cross-cultural development of an EORTC questionnaire to assess health-related quality of life in patients with testicular cancer: the EORTC QLQ-TC26

Quality of Life Research ◽

10.1007/s11136-012-0147-1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 369-378 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Bernhard Holzner ◽

Fabio Efficace ◽

Umberto Basso ◽

Colin D. Johnson ◽

Neil K. Aaronson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Testicular Cancer ◽

Cultural Development ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related ◽

Eortc Qlq

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Associations Between The Spiritual Well-Being (EORTC QLQ-SWB32) and Quality of Life (EORTC QLQ-C30) of Patients Receiving Palliative Care for Cancer in Cyprus

10.21203/rs.3.rs-433179/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Kyranou ◽

Marianna Nicolaou

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Palliative Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Cancer Data ◽

Patients With Cancer ◽

Spiritual Well Being ◽

Eortc Qlq C30 ◽

The Mean ◽

Eortc Qlq

Abstract Background: Spiritual well-being is increasingly investigated in relation to patients’ perceived quality of life and is generally thought as having the potential to support patients with cancer who receive palliative care. Until recently, questionnaires used to assess spiritual well-being were developed mainly in the US. The purpose of this study was to translate and use the EORTC- SWB32, a newly developed tool, validated recently in 4 continents, 14 countries, and in 10 languages, to explore relationships of spiritual well-being with quality of life in patients with cancer.Methods: One hundred four patients participated in this study with an average age of 59 years. Of those, 79% were dealing with metastatic cancer. Data collection took place in three oncology centers from two large cities in Cyprus. The acceptability of the translated items was tested. Two questionnaires were employed for the assessment of quality of life and spiritual well-being, developed by the same organization: the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the EORTC QLQ-SWB32. The scores for each tool were analyzed separately and correlations between the two measures were explored. Results: Patients found the items of the SWB32 tool easy to understand and answer. They attested that filling the questionnaire prompted thoughts about their own spirituality. The mean score for Global Spiritual Well-Being was 60.4 (SD=23.7) and it was associated with the mean scores in the scales “Emotional functioning” and “Cognitive functioning” of the EORTC-QOL-C30 (0.42 and 0.40 respectively, p<0.01). The mean score for the “Relationship with God” scale (74.9, SD=29.7) reported by the Cypriot patients is high and compatible with the homogenous spiritual orientation of the island’s population.Conclusions: All subscales of the SWB32 tool demonstrated good internal consistency in this study. Significant associations were observed between dimensions of quality of life and spiritual well-being. Additionally, the participants found the items easy to answer consistent with the tool’s suggested clinical utility which lays the ground for the application of targeted interventions to enhance spiritual well-being.

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The Role of EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL Scores and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Predicting Survival in Terminally Ill Patients with Cancer

10.21203/rs.3.rs-121092/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nanako Koyama ◽

Chikako Matsumura ◽

Yoshihiro Shitashimizu ◽

Morito Sako ◽

Hideo Kurosawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Palliative Care ◽

Patient Reported Outcomes ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Terminally Ill ◽

Inflammatory Biomarkers ◽

Survival Curves ◽

Patients With Cancer ◽

Terminally Ill Patients ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Eortc Qlq

Abstract Background The clinical use of patient-reported outcomes as compared to inflammatory biomarkers for predicting cancer survival remains a challenge in palliative care settings. We evaluated the accuracy of survival prediction in both indicators of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative scores (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL) and the inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin (Alb), and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with advanced cancer. Methods This was an observational study in terminally ill patients with cancer hospitalized in a palliative care unit between June 2018 and December 2019. Patients’ data collected at the time of hospitalization were analyzed. Cox regression was performed to examine significant factors influencing survival. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to estimate cut-off values for predicting survival within 3 weeks, and a log-rank test was performed to compare survival curves between groups divided by the cut-off values. Results Totally, 130 patients participated in the study. Cox regression suggested that the QLQ-C15-PAL dyspnea and fatigue scores and levels of CRP, Alb, and NLR were significantly associated with survival time, and cut-off values were 66.67, 66.67, 3.0 mg/dL, 2.5 g/dL, and 8.2, respectively. The areas under ROC curves of these variables were 0.6–0.7. There were statistically significant differences in the survival curves between groups categorized using each of these cut-off values (p < .05 for all cases). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the assessment of not only objective indicators for the systemic inflammatory response but also patient-reported outcomes using EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL is beneficial for the prediction of short-term survival in terminally ill patients with cancer.

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Associations between the spiritual well-being (EORTC QLQ-SWB32) and quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30) of patients receiving palliative care for cancer in Cyprus

BMC Palliative Care ◽

10.1186/s12904-021-00830-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Maria Kyranou ◽

Marianna Nicolaou

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Palliative Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Cancer Data ◽

Patients With Cancer ◽

Spiritual Well Being ◽

Eortc Qlq C30 ◽

The Mean ◽

Eortc Qlq

Abstract Background Spiritual well-being is increasingly investigated in relation to patients’ perceived quality of life and is generally thought as having the potential to support patients with cancer who receive palliative care. Until recently, questionnaires used to assess spiritual well-being were developed mainly in the US. The purpose of this study was to translate and use the EORTC- SWB32, a newly developed tool, validated recently in 4 continents, 14 countries, and in 10 languages, to explore relationships of spiritual well-being with quality of life in patients with cancer. Methods One hundred four patients participated in this study with an average age of 59 years. Of those, 79% were dealing with metastatic cancer. Data collection took place in three oncology centers from two large cities in Cyprus. The acceptability of the translated items was tested. Two questionnaires were employed for the assessment of quality of life and spiritual well-being, developed by the same organization: the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the EORTC QLQ-SWB32. The scores for each tool were analyzed separately and correlations between the two measures were explored. Results Patients found the items of the SWB32 tool easy to understand and answer. They attested that filling the questionnaire prompted thoughts about their own spirituality. The mean score for Global Spiritual Well-Being was 60.4 (SD = 23.7) and it was associated with the mean scores in the scales “Emotional functioning” and “Cognitive functioning” of the EORTC-QOL-C30 (0.42 and 0.40 respectively, p < 0.01). The mean score for the “Relationship with God” scale (74.9, SD = 29.7) reported by the Cypriot patients is high and compatible with the homogenous spiritual orientation of the island’s population. Conclusions All subscales of the SWB32 tool demonstrated good internal consistency in this study. Significant associations were observed between dimensions of quality of life and spiritual well-being. Additionally, the participants found the items easy to answer consistent with the tool’s suggested clinical utility which lays the ground for the application of targeted interventions to enhance spiritual well-being.

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