Clustering of EORTC QLQ-C30 health-related quality of life scales across several cancer types: Validation study

Abigirl Machingura; Mekdes Taye; Jammbe Musoro; Jolie Ringash; Madeline Pe; Corneel Coens; Francesca Martinelli; Dongsheng Tu; Ethan Basch; Yvonne Brandberg; Mogens Grønvold; Alexander Eggermont; Fatima Cardoso; Jan van Meerbeeck; Winette T. A. van der Graaf; Martin Taphoorn; Jaap C. Reijneveld; Riccardo Soffietti; EORTC Quality of Life Group, Brain tumour, Breast Cancer, Melanoma Group, Lung Cancer, Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma, Lymphoma, Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, Genito-Urinary Cancers, and Gynecological Cancer Groups

doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2022.03.039

Clustering of EORTC QLQ-C30 health-related quality of life scales across several cancer types: Validation study

Abigirl Machingura^*
, Mekdes Taye
, Jammbe Musoro
, Jolie Ringash
, Madeline Pe
, Corneel Coens
, Francesca Martinelli
, Dongsheng Tu
, Ethan Basch
, Yvonne Brandberg
, Mogens Grønvold
, Alexander Eggermont
, Fatima Cardoso
, Jan van Meerbeeck
, Winette T. A. van der Graaf
, Martin Taphoorn
, Jaap C. Reijneveld
, Riccardo Soffietti
, EORTC Quality of Life Group, Brain tumour, Breast Cancer, Melanoma Group, Lung Cancer, Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma, Lymphoma, Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, Genito-Urinary Cancers, and Gynecological Cancer Groups

^*Corresponding author for this work

European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Data Center
University of Toronto
Queen's University Kingston
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Karolinska Institutet
University of Copenhagen
University Medical Center Utrecht
Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich
Breast Unit, Champalimaud Clinical Center/Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
University of Antwerp
Netherlands Cancer Institute
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Leiden University
Amsterdam UMC - University of Amsterdam
CPO Piedmont-AOU Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10131 Turin, Italy
Mayo Clinic
University of Leeds
Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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Abstract

Introduction: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) measures 15 health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scales relevant to the disease and treatment of patients with cancer. A study by Martinelli (2011) demonstrated that these scales could be grouped into three main clusters: physical, psychological and gastrointestinal. This study aims to validate Martinelli's findings in an independent dataset and evaluate whether these clusters are consistent across cancer types and patient characteristics. Methods: Pre-defined criteria for successful validation were three main clusters should emerge with a minimum R-squared value of 0.51 using pooled baseline-data. A cluster analysis was performed on the 15 QLQ-C30 HRQoL-scales in the overall dataset, as well as by cancer type and selected patient characteristics to examine the robustness of the results. Results: The dataset consisted of 20,066 patients pooled across 17 cancer types. Overall, three main clusters were identified (R2 = 0.61); physical-cluster included role-functioning, physical-functioning, social-functioning, fatigue, pain, and global-health status; psychological-cluster included emotional-functioning, cognitive-functioning, and insomnia; gastro-intestinal-cluster included nausea/vomiting and appetite loss. The results were consistent across different levels of disease severity, socio-demographic and clinical characteristics with minor variations by cancer type. Global-health status was found to be strongly linked to the scales included in the physical-functioning-related cluster. Conclusion: This study successfully validated prior findings by Martinelli (2011): the QLQ-C30 scales are interrelated and can be grouped into three main clusters. Knowing how these multidimensional HRQoL scales are related to each other can help clinicians and patients with cancer in managing symptom burden, guide policymakers in defining social-support plans and inform selection of HRQoL scales in future clinical trials.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-9
Journal	European Journal of Cancer
Volume	170
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2022.03.039
Publication status	Published - 1 Jul 2022
Externally published	Yes

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This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

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Machingura, A., Taye, M., Musoro, J., Ringash, J., Pe, M., Coens, C., Martinelli, F., Tu, D., Basch, E., Brandberg, Y., Grønvold, M., Eggermont, A., Cardoso, F., van Meerbeeck, J., van der Graaf, W. T. A., Taphoorn, M., Reijneveld, J. C., Soffietti, R., & EORTC Quality of Life Group, Brain tumour, Breast Cancer, Melanoma Group, Lung Cancer, Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma, Lymphoma, Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, Genito-Urinary Cancers, and Gynecological Cancer Groups (2022). Clustering of EORTC QLQ-C30 health-related quality of life scales across several cancer types: Validation study. European Journal of Cancer, 170, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2022.03.039

@article{bbf28e479f9e485aac597e68f26c0285,

title = "Clustering of EORTC QLQ-C30 health-related quality of life scales across several cancer types: Validation study",

abstract = "Introduction: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) measures 15 health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scales relevant to the disease and treatment of patients with cancer. A study by Martinelli (2011) demonstrated that these scales could be grouped into three main clusters: physical, psychological and gastrointestinal. This study aims to validate Martinelli's findings in an independent dataset and evaluate whether these clusters are consistent across cancer types and patient characteristics. Methods: Pre-defined criteria for successful validation were three main clusters should emerge with a minimum R-squared value of 0.51 using pooled baseline-data. A cluster analysis was performed on the 15 QLQ-C30 HRQoL-scales in the overall dataset, as well as by cancer type and selected patient characteristics to examine the robustness of the results. Results: The dataset consisted of 20,066 patients pooled across 17 cancer types. Overall, three main clusters were identified (R2 = 0.61); physical-cluster included role-functioning, physical-functioning, social-functioning, fatigue, pain, and global-health status; psychological-cluster included emotional-functioning, cognitive-functioning, and insomnia; gastro-intestinal-cluster included nausea/vomiting and appetite loss. The results were consistent across different levels of disease severity, socio-demographic and clinical characteristics with minor variations by cancer type. Global-health status was found to be strongly linked to the scales included in the physical-functioning-related cluster. Conclusion: This study successfully validated prior findings by Martinelli (2011): the QLQ-C30 scales are interrelated and can be grouped into three main clusters. Knowing how these multidimensional HRQoL scales are related to each other can help clinicians and patients with cancer in managing symptom burden, guide policymakers in defining social-support plans and inform selection of HRQoL scales in future clinical trials.",

author = "Abigirl Machingura and Mekdes Taye and Jammbe Musoro and Jolie Ringash and Madeline Pe and Corneel Coens and Francesca Martinelli and Dongsheng Tu and Ethan Basch and Yvonne Brandberg and Mogens Gr{\o}nvold and Alexander Eggermont and Fatima Cardoso and \{van Meerbeeck\}, Jan and \{van der Graaf\}, \{Winette T. A.\} and Martin Taphoorn and Reijneveld, \{Jaap C.\} and Riccardo Soffietti and \{EORTC Quality of Life Group, Brain tumour, Breast Cancer, Melanoma Group, Lung Cancer, Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma, Lymphoma, Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, Genito-Urinary Cancers, and Gynecological Cancer Groups\} and Jeff Sloan and Galina Velikova and Henning Flechtner and Andrew Bottomley",

year = "2022",

month = jul,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.ejca.2022.03.039",

language = "English",

volume = "170",

pages = "1--9",

journal = "European Journal of Cancer",

issn = "0959-8049",

publisher = "Elsevier Limited",

}

Machingura, A, Taye, M, Musoro, J, Ringash, J, Pe, M, Coens, C, Martinelli, F, Tu, D, Basch, E, Brandberg, Y, Grønvold, M, Eggermont, A, Cardoso, F, van Meerbeeck, J, van der Graaf, WTA, Taphoorn, M, Reijneveld, JC, Soffietti, R & EORTC Quality of Life Group, Brain tumour, Breast Cancer, Melanoma Group, Lung Cancer, Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma, Lymphoma, Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, Genito-Urinary Cancers, and Gynecological Cancer Groups 2022, 'Clustering of EORTC QLQ-C30 health-related quality of life scales across several cancer types: Validation study', European Journal of Cancer, vol. 170, pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2022.03.039

TY - JOUR

T1 - Clustering of EORTC QLQ-C30 health-related quality of life scales across several cancer types

T2 - Validation study

AU - Machingura, Abigirl

AU - Taye, Mekdes

AU - Musoro, Jammbe

AU - Ringash, Jolie

AU - Pe, Madeline

AU - Coens, Corneel

AU - Martinelli, Francesca

AU - Tu, Dongsheng

AU - Basch, Ethan

AU - Brandberg, Yvonne

AU - Grønvold, Mogens

AU - Eggermont, Alexander

AU - Cardoso, Fatima

AU - van Meerbeeck, Jan

AU - van der Graaf, Winette T. A.

AU - Taphoorn, Martin

AU - Reijneveld, Jaap C.

AU - Soffietti, Riccardo

AU - EORTC Quality of Life Group, Brain tumour, Breast Cancer, Melanoma Group, Lung Cancer, Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma, Lymphoma, Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, Genito-Urinary Cancers, and Gynecological Cancer Groups

AU - Sloan, Jeff

AU - Velikova, Galina

AU - Flechtner, Henning

AU - Bottomley, Andrew

PY - 2022/7/1

Y1 - 2022/7/1

N2 - Introduction: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) measures 15 health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scales relevant to the disease and treatment of patients with cancer. A study by Martinelli (2011) demonstrated that these scales could be grouped into three main clusters: physical, psychological and gastrointestinal. This study aims to validate Martinelli's findings in an independent dataset and evaluate whether these clusters are consistent across cancer types and patient characteristics. Methods: Pre-defined criteria for successful validation were three main clusters should emerge with a minimum R-squared value of 0.51 using pooled baseline-data. A cluster analysis was performed on the 15 QLQ-C30 HRQoL-scales in the overall dataset, as well as by cancer type and selected patient characteristics to examine the robustness of the results. Results: The dataset consisted of 20,066 patients pooled across 17 cancer types. Overall, three main clusters were identified (R2 = 0.61); physical-cluster included role-functioning, physical-functioning, social-functioning, fatigue, pain, and global-health status; psychological-cluster included emotional-functioning, cognitive-functioning, and insomnia; gastro-intestinal-cluster included nausea/vomiting and appetite loss. The results were consistent across different levels of disease severity, socio-demographic and clinical characteristics with minor variations by cancer type. Global-health status was found to be strongly linked to the scales included in the physical-functioning-related cluster. Conclusion: This study successfully validated prior findings by Martinelli (2011): the QLQ-C30 scales are interrelated and can be grouped into three main clusters. Knowing how these multidimensional HRQoL scales are related to each other can help clinicians and patients with cancer in managing symptom burden, guide policymakers in defining social-support plans and inform selection of HRQoL scales in future clinical trials.

AB - Introduction: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) measures 15 health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scales relevant to the disease and treatment of patients with cancer. A study by Martinelli (2011) demonstrated that these scales could be grouped into three main clusters: physical, psychological and gastrointestinal. This study aims to validate Martinelli's findings in an independent dataset and evaluate whether these clusters are consistent across cancer types and patient characteristics. Methods: Pre-defined criteria for successful validation were three main clusters should emerge with a minimum R-squared value of 0.51 using pooled baseline-data. A cluster analysis was performed on the 15 QLQ-C30 HRQoL-scales in the overall dataset, as well as by cancer type and selected patient characteristics to examine the robustness of the results. Results: The dataset consisted of 20,066 patients pooled across 17 cancer types. Overall, three main clusters were identified (R2 = 0.61); physical-cluster included role-functioning, physical-functioning, social-functioning, fatigue, pain, and global-health status; psychological-cluster included emotional-functioning, cognitive-functioning, and insomnia; gastro-intestinal-cluster included nausea/vomiting and appetite loss. The results were consistent across different levels of disease severity, socio-demographic and clinical characteristics with minor variations by cancer type. Global-health status was found to be strongly linked to the scales included in the physical-functioning-related cluster. Conclusion: This study successfully validated prior findings by Martinelli (2011): the QLQ-C30 scales are interrelated and can be grouped into three main clusters. Knowing how these multidimensional HRQoL scales are related to each other can help clinicians and patients with cancer in managing symptom burden, guide policymakers in defining social-support plans and inform selection of HRQoL scales in future clinical trials.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85130021597

UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35569438

U2 - 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.03.039

DO - 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.03.039

M3 - Article

C2 - 35569438

SN - 0959-8049

VL - 170

SP - 1

EP - 9

JO - European Journal of Cancer

JF - European Journal of Cancer

ER -

Clustering of EORTC QLQ-C30 health-related quality of life scales across several cancer types: Validation study

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