European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30)

Name of Questionnaire

European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Version 3.0 (EORTC QLQ-C30 v. 3.0)

Description

Cancer-specific core questionnaire for use in relation to various cancers. May be used in conjunction with the lung cancer-specific QLQ-LC13.

Developer

EORTC Quality of Life Study Group

Address

Quality of Life Unit
EORTC Data CenterAvenue
E. Mounier 83, Bte 11B-1200
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 774 16 06
Fax: +32 2 779 45 68

E-mail

eortc@eortc.be

URL

www.eortc.be

Cost & availability

Free for university research, fee for use in pharmaceutical company research

Administration

Self

Time to complete

Under 10 minutes

Number of items

30

Domains & categories

9

Name of categories/domains

Functional scales (physical, role, cognitive, emotional, social), symptom scales (fatigue, pain, and nausea and vomiting), global health status and quality of life scale, also several single-item symptom measures

Scaling of items

1 (Not at all) to 4 (Very much), 1 (Very poor) to 7 (Excellent)

Scoring

0 to 100. For functional and global quality of life scales, higher scores mean a better level of functioning. For symptom-oriented scales, a higher score means more severe symptoms.

Reliability

Validity

Scales were found to assess distinct components of quality of life². Instrument was found to distinguish between patients with different performance status and degrees of weight loss². Statistically significant changes, in the expected direction, in physical and role functioning, global quality of life, fatigue, and nausea and vomiting, for patients whose performance status had improved or worsened during treatment². Detected effect of palliative radiotherapy over time⁴.

Responsiveness

Reported²

Minimally important difference

5 to 10 points⁵

Research use

Reported : after resection of non-small cell lung cancer^6,8, quality of life in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy⁹.

With QLQ-LC13: Reported : MVP chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer¹², chemotherapy in advanced small cell lung cancer¹⁷.

Clinical use

Not reported in patients with lung cancer

Language

Afrikaans, Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (American, Australian, British, Canadian), Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Iranian, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian, Portuguese), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Spanish (American, Argentinean, Spanish), Swedish, Turkish. Pending: Chinese (Taiwanese), French (Canadian), Hindi, Korean, Malaysian, Sotho

References

1. Hjermstad MJ, Fossa SD, Bjordal K, Kaasa S. Test/retest study of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality-of-Life Questionnaire. J Clin Oncol 1995; 13:1249-54.
2. Aaronson NK, Ahmedzai S, Bergman B, et al. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30: a quality-of-life instrument for use in international clinical trials in oncology. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993; 85:365-76.
3. Osoba D, Aaronson N, Zee B, et al. Modification of the EORTC QLQ-C30 (version 2.0) based on content validity and reliability testing in large samples of patients with cancer. The Study Group on Quality of Life of the EORTC and the Symptom Control and Quality of Life Committees of the NCI of Canada Clinical Trials Group. Qual Life Res 1997; 6:103-8.
4. Kaasa S, Bjordal K, Aaronson N, et al. The EORTC core quality of life questionnaire (QLQ-C30): validity and reliability when analysed with patients treated with palliative radiotherapy. Eur J Cancer 1995; 31A:2260-3.
5. Osoba D, Rodrigues G, Myles J, Zee B, Pater J. Interpreting the significance of changes in health-related quality-of-life scores. J Clin Oncol 1998; 16:139-44.
6. Zieren HU, Muller JM, Hamberger U, et al. Quality of life after surgical therapy of bronchogenic carcinoma. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 1996; 10:233-7.
7. Hendriks J, Van Schil P, Van Meerbeeck J, et al. Short-term survival after major pulmonary resections for bronchogenic carcinoma. Acta Chir Belg 1996; 96:273-79.
8. Pater JL, Zee B, Palmer M, et al. Fatigue in patients with cancer: results with National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group studies employing the EORTC QLQ-C30. Support Care Cancer 1997; 5:410-3.
9. Dancey J, Zee B, Osoba D, et al. Quality of life scores: an independent prognostic variable in a general population of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group. Qual Life Res 1997; 6:151-8.
10. Hickish TF, Smith IE, Nicolson MC, et al. A pilot study of MVP (mitomycin-C, vinblastine and cisplatin) chemotherapy in small-cell lung cancer. Br J Cancer 1998; 77:1966-70.
11. Giaccone G, Splinter TA, Debruyne C, et al. Randomized study of paclitaxel-cisplatin versus cisplatin-teniposide in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Lung Cancer Cooperative Group. J Clin Oncol 1998; 16:2133-41.
12. Joss RA, Bacchi M, Hurny C, et al. Early versus late alternating chemotherapy in small-cell lung cancer. Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK). Ann Oncol 1995; 6:157-66.
13. Joss RA, Alberto P, Hurny C, et al. Quality versus quantity of life in the treatment of patients with advanced small-cell lung cancer? A randomized phase III comparison of weekly carboplatin and teniposide versus cisplatin, adriamycin, etoposide alternating with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, vincristine and lomustine. Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK). Ann Oncol 1995; 6:41-8.
14. Bernhard J, Hurny C, Bacchi M, et al. Initial prognostic factors in small-cell lung cancer patients predicting quality of life during chemotherapy. Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK). Br J Cancer 1996; 74:1660-7.
15. Kosmidis P, Mylonakis N, Fountzilas G, et al. Paclitaxel (175mg/m2) plus carboplatin versus paclitaxel (225 mg/m2) plus carboplatin in non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized study. Semin Oncol 1997; 24:S12-30-S12-33.
16. Herndon JE, 2nd, Fleishman S, Kosty MP, et al. A longitudinal study of quality of life in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 8931. Control Clin Trials 1997; 18:286-300.

Date of information

May 1999