Raffaele Giusti1, Emanuela Scarpi2, Katia Cannita3, Rosa Rita Silva4, Marco Filetti1, Marco Mazzotta5, Corrado Ficorella3, Andrea Botticelli1, Marco Maltoni6, Paolo Marchetti1, Giampiero Porzio3, Lucilla Verna3. 1. Medical Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Sant'Andrea, Via di Grottarossa 1035-1037, 00189, Rome, Italy. 2. Biostatistics and Clinical Trials Unit, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Meldola (FC), Meldola, FC, Italy. 3. Medical Oncology Unit, S. Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, AQ, Italy. 4. Medical Oncology Unit, ASUR Marche AV2, Fabriano, Italy. 5. Medical Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Sant'Andrea, Via di Grottarossa 1035-1037, 00189, Rome, Italy. marcomazzotta88@gmail.com. 6. Palliative Care Unit, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Meldola (FC), Meldola, FC, Italy.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The large number of women surviving many years post breast cancer (BC) diagnosis has heightened interest in studying long-term effects of cancer on quality of life (QoL). Several cancer-specific health-related measures have been developed, but these may not be appropriate for long survivors. This study evaluates the reliability and clinical and psychometric validity of the BreSAS questionnaire (BQ) among BC survivors. METHODS: The BQ is a quick, simple ten-item module for the assessment of long-term physical, psychological, sexual, and cognitive effects that may influence QoL. The total BreSAS score ranks from 0 to 100, with a low score indicating a better QoL. Patients complete the BQ, the FACT-ES questionnaire, and case report forms for clinical and socio-demographic data during follow-up visits. Reliability and clinical and psychometric validity of the questionnaires are assessed by correlation analyses and exploration of known group comparisons. RESULTS: From September 2015 to February 2016, 149 patients from three Italian oncology units were enrolled. Baseline questionnaires were returned from all, and 134 patients (89%) completed the BQ and FACT-ES in less than 15 min. For reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficients for each scale were greater than 0.70 in all analyzed symptoms. Convergent validity of BQ showed by Pearson's r demonstrated a high correlation between intensity of symptoms and QoL, especially for pain and depression. No data were provided about reproducibility with test-retest study. CONCLUSION: The BQ demonstrates sufficient validity and reliability to support its use to assess patient-reported symptoms during planned follow-up clinical visits among BC survivors. Further full validation studies are needed.
BACKGROUND: The large number of women surviving many years post breast cancer (BC) diagnosis has heightened interest in studying long-term effects of cancer on quality of life (QoL). Several cancer-specific health-related measures have been developed, but these may not be appropriate for long survivors. This study evaluates the reliability and clinical and psychometric validity of the BreSAS questionnaire (BQ) among BC survivors. METHODS: The BQ is a quick, simple ten-item module for the assessment of long-term physical, psychological, sexual, and cognitive effects that may influence QoL. The total BreSAS score ranks from 0 to 100, with a low score indicating a better QoL. Patients complete the BQ, the FACT-ES questionnaire, and case report forms for clinical and socio-demographic data during follow-up visits. Reliability and clinical and psychometric validity of the questionnaires are assessed by correlation analyses and exploration of known group comparisons. RESULTS: From September 2015 to February 2016, 149 patients from three Italian oncology units were enrolled. Baseline questionnaires were returned from all, and 134 patients (89%) completed the BQ and FACT-ES in less than 15 min. For reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficients for each scale were greater than 0.70 in all analyzed symptoms. Convergent validity of BQ showed by Pearson's r demonstrated a high correlation between intensity of symptoms and QoL, especially for pain and depression. No data were provided about reproducibility with test-retest study. CONCLUSION: The BQ demonstrates sufficient validity and reliability to support its use to assess patient-reported symptoms during planned follow-up clinical visits among BC survivors. Further full validation studies are needed.
Entities:
Keywords:
Breast cancer; Cancer survivor; Quality of life
Authors: Fabíola Cristina Brandini da Silva; Jonathas José da Silva; Almir José Sarri; Carlos Eduardo Paiva; René Aloisio da Costa Vieira Journal: Clin Breast Cancer Date: 2018-10-27 Impact factor: 3.225
Authors: Greta Carioli; Matteo Malvezzi; Teresa Rodriguez; Paola Bertuccio; Eva Negri; Carlo La Vecchia Journal: Breast Date: 2017-10-04 Impact factor: 4.380