Translation and Validation of M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory-Thyroid Cancer Module in Chinese Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional and Methodological Study

Aim To translate and validate the Chinese version of the MDASI-THY among thyroid cancer patients. Background The M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory-Thyroid Cancer module (MDASI-THY) is one of well-validated instruments for thyroid-specific symptom assessment. To date, the instrument has not been used in China. Methods After standard forward- and back-translation procedures, two instruments, the Chinese version of MDASI-THY and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ C30, were answered by 309 thyroid patients. The content, convergent discriminant validity and reliability of the MDASI-THY were evaluated. The Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (STARD) was used as reporting checklist. Results S-CVI and I-CVI of the instrument were over 0.80. There were significant relationships between MDASI-THY and EORTC QLQ-C30 (p<0.001). Symptoms were severer for patients underwent surgical treatment. The Cronbach’s alpha was 0.966 (between 0.954 and 0.827 for subscales). Most symptom items had moderate to high interitem correlations. Conclusions The Chinese version of MDASI-THY demonstrated favorable validity and reliability. It can be used in development of symptom management program in thyroid cancer patients in China. Relevance to clinical practice: Nurse can apply this instrument to assess Chinese thyroid cancer patients to increase the understanding of their symptom experience, resulting in a better symptom management.

Assessment of Quality of Life Following Radiotherapy in Patients With Rectum Cancer

PurposeThe aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of radiotherapy (RT) on quality of life (QoL) and influencing factors.MethodsData of 106 patients who completely filled out the three questionnaires were evaluated in this prospective study. Quality of life was evaluated with cancer-specific QLQ-C30 and colorectal cancer module QLQ-CR29 created by European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). All statistical analyses were done with SPSS version 22 software. A p level of <0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.ResultsMedian age was 61 (27-86). Of the patients, 77 (72.6%) were male and 29 (27.4%) were female. When QLQ-C30 questionnaires were evaluated, it was observed that physical, role, cognitive and emotional function scores were impaired following RT however returned to pre-RT levels on control. According to the results of QLQ-CR29 questionnaire, after RT, impairment was observed in urination frequency, urinary incontinence, stool frequency, dysuria, fecal incontinence, embarrassment, sexual interest in males scales however they returned to pre-RT values on control. When evaluated with regard to age, financial difficulty, global health score, mucus in stool, dysuria, dyspareunia and abdominal pain were observed to be poorer in the young; urination frequency and urinary incontinence were observed to be poorer in the elderly. ConclusionAlthough both functional and symptom scales were shown to impair, most of them were detected to be temporal and patients could well tolerate radiotherapy. Additional assessment is required for evaluating the late effects of treatments on QoL.

Qualidade de vida de crianças e adolescentes com câncer: Estudos que aplicaram o PedsQL 3.0 Cancer Module

Objetivo: apontar a qualidade de vida de crianças e adolescentes com câncer de estudos que aplicaram o PedsQL 3.0 Cancer Module e descrever o escore encontrado nesses estudos. Metodologia: Revisão sistemática da literatura nas bases de dados Medline, LILACS, Scielo, Scopus, PsycINFO, Science Direct e Web of Science de estudos publicados entre 2015 e 2020. Resultados: Selecionou-se 18 artigos, onde observa-se que a Leucemia foi o tipo de câncer mais frequente em 78% dos estudos. A quimioterapia foi o tratamento recebido em 55% das pesquisas e em relação ao escore médio dos participantes, consta-se que os escores variaram entre 59,1 e 74,53. Conclusão: a média de escore variou entre 59,1 e 74,53. O tipo de câncer parece não ter influência significativa nos escores. A fadiga é o sintoma mais associado aos baixos escores de qualidade de vida. E pacientes tratados com quimioterapia tendem a apresentar menores escores de qualidade de vida.

Cinesioterapia para melhora da qualidade de vida após cirurgia para câncer de mama

Introdução: O tratamento cirúrgico para o câncer de mama pode trazer limitações físico-funcionais e prejuízos na qualidade de vida (QV). Assim, a cinesioterapia representa uma possibilidade terapêutica para prevenir ou tratar estas disfunções. Objetivo: Comparar a QV antes e após 10 sessões de cinesioterapia. Métodos: Ensaio clínico não aleatorizado, envolvendo mulheres que realizaram 10 sessões de fisioterapia após cirurgia para câncer de mama. O protocolo incluiu alongamentos, exercícios ativos-livres e exercícios resistidos. A QV foi avaliada pelo questionário genérico European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC): o Quality of Life Questionnaire C-30 (QLQ-C30) e o específico, Breast Cancer Module (BR-23). Resultados: Foram incluídas 35 mulheres, sendo a mastectomia à esquerda o procedimento mais realizado. No QLQ-C30, foi observada melhora significativa da escala de função física (p = 0,01), desempenho funcional (p = 0,02), fadiga (p = 0,03), dor (p = 0,01), insônia (p = 0,02) e piora apenas de diarreia (p = 0,02). No BR-23, observou-se melhora significativa nos sintomas da mama (p = 0,01) e do braço (p = 0,01). Outros escores, como função cognitiva, social, dispneia, constipação, dificuldade financeira, imagem corporal e perspectiva futura, melhoraram sem diferença significativa. Conclusão: Após a cinesioterapia, observou-se melhora de diversos aspectos da QV. Maior tempo de seguimento e outros instrumentos de avaliação poderão mostrar ganhos adicionais.

The reliability of the health related quality of life questionnaire PedsQL 3.0 cancer module in a sample of Swedish children

Background The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) is a modular instrument, designed to integrate generic and disease specific measures, and includes both self- and proxy-reports. The aim of the study was to assess the reliability and limited validity of the Swedish version of the disease specific Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0 Cancer Module Scales (PedsQL 3.0), in a sample of Swedish children diagnosed with cancer. Method A total of 94 families at The Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital, Sahlgrenska University participated in the study. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Core Scales (PedsQL 4.0) and the PedsQL 3.0 were administered to 63 children (aged 5–18 years) with cancer and to 94 parents of children with cancer aged 2–18 years. Results The internal consistency of the PedsQL 3.0, reached or exceeded Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.70 for both -self- and proxy-reports. The PedsQL 4.0 and PedsQL 3.0 were highly correlated (r = 0.94 for proxy-reports and r = 0.91 for self-reports), indicating convergent validity. Conclusion PedsQL 3.0 Cancer Module Scales can be used as a valuable tool for measuring cancer-specific HRQOL in child populations, both in research and in clinical practice.