Validity and Reliability of Turkish Version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Brain Questionnaire

Effects of combined aerobic-strength training and yoga on quality of life and related parameters in women with pituitary adenoma after surgery: a randomized crossover study

OBJECTIVE

The pituitary gland is responsible for hormonal balance in the body, and disruption of hormonal balance in patients with pituitary adenoma (PA) indirectly affects the quality of life. This study aimed to examine the effects of yoga and combined aerobic and strength training (A+ST) on quality of life and related parameters such as sleep, fatigue, emotional state, sexual function, and cognitive status in women with PA.

DESIGN

Ten women with PA were included in this randomized crossover study. Group 1 (n = 5, mean age: 52 ± 13.5 years) received A+ST for the first 6 weeks, a 2-week washout period, and yoga for the second 6 weeks. Group 2 (n = 5, mean age: 41.8 ± 14 years) received the yoga program first, followed by the A+ST program.

METHODS

Participants were assessed using the following tools before and after each exercise intervention: Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain (FACT-Br) (quality of life), Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MOCA).

RESULTS

FACT-Br scores were higher after the yoga program, HADS anxiety score was lower after the A+ST program, and MOCA scores increased after both exercise programs (P < 0.05). FSS score decreased after both exercise programs, but not significantly. In addition, nonsignificant decreases in HADS anxiety and depression scores and increased FSFI scores were observed after the yoga program.

CONCLUSION

A+ST and yoga have positive effects on the quality of life in PA. We recommend yoga and A+ST as a supportive therapy for this population that may face comorbidities after surgical and medical treatment. Our results indicate these patients may benefit from physiotherapist-guided exercise programs.

Validation of the BC-Brain Patient-Reported Outcome Questionnaire for Patients with Central Nervous System Tumours Treated with Radiotherapy

The BC-brain questionnaire was developed by BC Cancer to detect health problems in patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumours in routine clinical care, treated with radiotherapy (RT), as part of the Prospective Outcomes and Support Initiative (POSI). This study aimed to present and validate the BC-brain questionnaire in patients with brain metastases (BrM) treated with RT. The BC-brain questionnaire was constructed with three subscales: mobility, thinking and CNS symptoms. Patients with BrM from five BC Cancer centres completed this questionnaire at first visit and subsequent follow-up appointments. A total of 365 patients finished the first and 105 finished the follow-up questionnaire. Summary scores of each subscale were calculated. Mobility, thinking and subtotal score showed good reliability with Cronbach’s α > 0.7. Multitrait scaling analysis showed good convergent and divergent validity. The correlations between subscales ranged from 0.262 to 0.456 for baseline and from 0.378 to 0.597 for follow-up. Patients on dexamethasone had worse performance. Patients with a KPS of </=70 had worse performance than patients with a KPS of >70. In general, this BC-brain questionnaire has good reliability and validity, and is proper to use as an option for a patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument to measure the quality of life in BrM patients treated with RT.

Comparison of content and psychometric properties for assessment tools used for brain tumor patients: a scoping review

AIMS

To determine the most frequently utilized functional status assessment instruments for patients with brain tumors, compare their contents, using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and their psychometric properties.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted to explore possible assessment instruments and summarize the evidence. A systematic literature search was performed for identification of the frequently used functional assessment tool in clinical trials in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest databases. The content of most used instruments was linked to the ICF categories. The psychometric qualities of these assessment tools were systematically searched and analyzed.

RESULTS

Nine most used assessment tools in clinical trials were identified. The most frequently used assessment instrument is the Karnofsky Performance Scale, which is developed for a general assessment of oncological patients. Out of four self-assessment tools, two were disease-specific (EORTC QLQ-BN20 and FACT-Br), EORTC QLQ-C30 has been shown good psychometric properties in patients with brain tumors as well as in patients with various oncological diseases, similar to the SF-36, it is used in patients with brain tumors as well as in patients with various diseases. The Functional Independence Measure and the Barthel Index were two objective assessment tools that described functioning, but two were neuropsychological tests (MMSE and Trial Making Test). Two hundred eighty-three meaningful concepts were identified and linked to 102 most relevant second-level categories covering all components of the ICF. Forty-nine studies reporting psychometric properties of those nine assessment tools were identified, indicating good reliability and validity for all the instruments.

CONCLUSION

Nine most frequently utilized functional status assessment instruments for patients with brain tumors represent all components of the ICF and have good psychometric properties. However, the choice of the tool depends on the clinical question posed and the aim of its use.

Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-bone marrow transplant (FACT-BMT) quality of life questionnaire in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation

OBJECTIVE

The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplant Version 4 (FACT-BMT) is a widely used instrument to assess quality of life in individuals treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Our aim was to determine the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the FACT-BMT in patients undergoing BMT.

METHOD

Patients between the age of 20 and 65 years and who had undergone BMT at least 3 months before the study were included. Validity was determined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. To determine convergent validity, the European Cancer Research and Treatment Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Cancer30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score were used. Cronbach's alpha, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), and item-total correlation (ITC) values were calculated to assess the reliability of the FACT-BMT.

RESULTS

Totally, 114 patients (F/M: 47/67) treated with BMT (mean age: 49.50 ± 12.50 years) were included. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis revealed that the FACT-BMT and the Bone Marrow Transplantation Subscale (BMTS) had sufficient fit. The FACT-BMT was moderately to strongly correlated with the EORTC QLQ-C30, the BFI, and the ECOG performance score (p < 0.001). Cronbach's alpha and ICC values of the FACT-BMT were acceptable (0.925 and 0.956, respectively). The ITC values of each item of the FACT-BMT were also acceptable (ranged from 0.296 to 0.737). Patients undergoing autologous BMT had a significantly higher BMTS score than those undergoing allogeneic BMT (p < 0.05).

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

The Turkish version of the FACT-BMT is valid, reliable, and sensitive to changes in quality of life in patients undergoing BMT.

Functional assessment of cancer therapy questionnaire for melanoma in the Serbian population: A factor analytic approach

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy—Melanoma (FACT-M) questionnaire in the Serbian language. The FACT-M was translated into Serbian using the standard methodology after obtaining the licence from the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) translation project team. This version of FACT-M was distributed to a cohort of consecutive patients with histologically confirmed high-risk skin melanoma treated at the tertiary referral center. To examine construct validity of the FACT-M in Serbian, we performed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The FACT-General (FACT-G) did not fit the original 4-domain structure. Instead, we accepted a 7-domain structure which, aside from physical, emotional, social and functional well-being, had domains of ‘friends’ support’, ‘illness acceptance’ and ‘fear of death’. Melanoma scale (MS) and Melanoma surgery scale (MSS) did not fit the original one-dimensional structure. The MS was observed to have 4 domains: ‘pain’, ‘skin problems’, ‘abdominal metastases’ and ‘other problems’. The MSS was observed to have 2 domains: ‘having symptoms’ and ‘no symptoms’. It is suggested that the FACT-M questionnaire is analyzed using the newly extracted domains to examine quality of life of people with high-risk melanoma in Serbia.