Abstract
BackgroundMeasuring quality of life is important for cancer patients, but there are regional differences in age-standardized colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates which may affect measurement. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability, validity and responsiveness of Quality of Life Instruments for Cancer Patients – Colorectal Cancer (QLICP-CR) in colorectal cancer patients in Northeast China, and assess its usefulness for evaluation of quality of life in these patients.MethodsFrom November 2016 to January 2017, 152 patients with colorectal cancer from Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute were surveyed three times using QLICP-CR and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Colorectal (FACT-C) to measure their quality of life (on admission, 2–3 days later and at discharge). Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Validity was examined by item–domain correlation, criterion-related validity and factor construct validity analysis. Responsiveness was assessed using paired Student’s t tests and calculating standardized response mean.ResultsCronbach’s α coefficient for QLICP-CR ranged from 0.62 to 0.93. Pearson correlation and intra-class correlation coefficients for QLICP-GM, the five domains and the total scale of QLICP-CR ranged from 0.74 to 0.91 and 0.74 to 0.90. The item–domain correlation analysis showed good convergent validity and discriminant validity. Correlation analysis of domain scores between FACT-C and QLICP-CR showed good criterion-related validity. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that nine and three principal components were extracted from items in the two modules of QLICP-CR, and the contribution rate of cumulative variance was 70.21 and 72.26%. There were significant differences in quality of life between the first and the third measurements, with standardized response mean values ranging from 0.30 to 0.81.ConclusionsThe QLICP-CR was a reliable, valid and sensitive instrument to measure quality of life in colorectal cancer patients in Northeast China.
Highlights
Measuring quality of life is important for cancer patients, but there are regional differences in agestandardized colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates which may affect measurement
This study examined the reliability, validity and responsiveness of QLICP-CR in a sample of 152 Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients being treated in a key hospital for CRC, where nearly 99% of inpatients were from Northeast China
All our findings suggest that QLICP-CR had good reliability in measuring the quality of life (QOL) of CRC patients in Northeast China
Summary
Measuring quality of life is important for cancer patients, but there are regional differences in agestandardized colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates which may affect measurement. In China, CRC is the fifth most common cancer in men and the fourth in women, and the fifth most common cause of death from cancer in both men and women [3]. It is becoming a major public health problem in China. CRC is one of the most curable cancers [4,5,6], and the number of people surviving it is growing [7] It and its treatment strongly affect quality of life (QOL) [4]. A number of studies have focused on QOL in patients with CRC in recent years [10,11,12,13,14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
