Psychometric properties of a prostate cancer radiation late toxicity questionnaire
2007

Development of a Prostate Cancer Radiation Late Toxicity Questionnaire

Sample size: 479 publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): George Rodrigues, Glenn Bauman, Michael Lock, David D'Souza, Jeff Mahon

Primary Institution: University of Western Ontario

Hypothesis

To construct a short prostate cancer radiation late toxicity questionnaire with health-related quality-of-life domains.

Conclusion

We successfully generated a PCRT HRQoL questionnaire including subscales with very good psychometric properties.

Supporting Evidence

  • Reliability of the three item-reduced subscales demonstrated intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.811 (GU), 0.842 (GI), and 0.740 (sexual).
  • Discriminant validity demonstrated Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.449 (GU-GI), 0.200 (sexual-GU), and 0.09 (sexual-GI).
  • Content validity correlations between PCRT-PCQoL were 0.35–0.78.

Takeaway

Researchers created a questionnaire to help understand the long-term side effects of radiation treatment for prostate cancer, making it easier for patients to report their experiences.

Methodology

The PCRT was developed through item generation, questionnaire construction, pilot testing, item reduction, reliability testing, and validity testing.

Limitations

The PCRT is validated only in external-beam RT and brachytherapy populations, and not for surgery or chemotherapy populations.

Participant Demographics

The study population consisted of male patients of any age who had previously undergone radical external beam RT or radical brachytherapy for prostate cancer.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.0001

Confidence Interval

95% CI

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1477-7525-5-29

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