The time trade-off technique: how do the valuations of breast cancer patients compare to those of other groups?

The time trade-off method was incorporated into a study of valuation of health states following treatment for breast cancer. A major aim of the work was to determine whether different groups give different valuations. The time trade-off technique was simple and quick to administer, acceptable to subjects, and produced different values in different groups. Age and sex of valuers had some influence: the most striking differences were found between women who had experienced breast cancer and those who had not. The time trade-off method has considerable potential in health state valuation. The choice of valuers needs to be further explored.