Psychometric validation of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-brain (FACT-Br) for assessing quality of life in patients with brain metastases

Nemica Thavarajah; Gillian Bedard; Liying Zhang; David Cella; Jennifer L. Beaumont; May Tsao; Elizabeth Barnes; Cyril Danjoux; Arjun Sahgal; Hany Soliman; Edward Chow

doi:10.1007/s00520-013-2060-8

Psychometric validation of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-brain (FACT-Br) for assessing quality of life in patients with brain metastases

Nemica Thavarajah, Gillian Bedard, Liying Zhang, David Cella, Jennifer L. Beaumont, May Tsao, Elizabeth Barnes, Cyril Danjoux, Arjun Sahgal, Hany Soliman, Edward Chow^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Medical Social Sciences

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

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to test the reliability, psychometric, and clinical validity of the use of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain (FACT-Br) in patients with brain metastases. Methods: Patients with brain metastases were interviewed using the FACT-Br (including the FACT-general) 1 week prior to treatment. All patients completed a follow-up assessment 1 month post-treatment. Patients with a good performance status and receiving stereotactic radiosurgery completed an additional 1 week follow-up assessment after the initial baseline interview to assess test-retest reliability. Results: Forty patients had complete 1 month follow-up data. Ten of these patients also completed the 1 week follow-up assessment from baseline. The median Karnofsky performance status of patients was 80 and the median age was 64 years. All subscales of the FACT-Br were found to be conceptually related (except for two correlations) using the following subscales: physical well-being (PWB), social/family well-being (SWB), emotional well-being (EWB), functional well-being (FWB), FACT-G total score, brain cancer subscale (BrC), and the FACT-Br total score. All FACT-Br scores demonstrated excellent reliability, except for the SWB scale which revealed good reliability. The FACT-Br scores showed no significant change in the quality of life (QoL) of patients from baseline to 1 month follow-up. Conclusion: The use of the combined FACT-G and FACT-Br Subscale to assess QoL specifically in patients with brain metastases has successfully undergone psychometric validation. Future clinical trials should use the FACT-G and FACT-Br Subscale to assess QoL in this patient population.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1017-1028
Number of pages	12
Journal	Supportive Care in Cancer
Volume	22
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-013-2060-8
State	Published - Apr 2014

Funding

Acknowledgments We thank the generous support of the Bratty Family Fund, Michael and Karyn Goldstein Cancer Research Fund, Joseph and Silvana Melara Cancer Research Fund, and the Ofelia Cancer Research Fund.

Keywords

Brain metastases
FACT-Br
FACT-G
Field-testing
Psychometric validation
Quality of life
Questionnaire

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Oncology

UN SDGs

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

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10.1007/s00520-013-2060-8

Cite this

Thavarajah, N., Bedard, G., Zhang, L., Cella, D., Beaumont, J. L., Tsao, M., Barnes, E., Danjoux, C., Sahgal, A., Soliman, H., & Chow, E. (2014). Psychometric validation of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-brain (FACT-Br) for assessing quality of life in patients with brain metastases. Supportive Care in Cancer, 22(4), 1017-1028. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-013-2060-8

@article{d123262fefbe4cb0bf924f7781b33b46,

title = "Psychometric validation of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-brain (FACT-Br) for assessing quality of life in patients with brain metastases",

abstract = "Objective: This study aimed to test the reliability, psychometric, and clinical validity of the use of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain (FACT-Br) in patients with brain metastases. Methods: Patients with brain metastases were interviewed using the FACT-Br (including the FACT-general) 1 week prior to treatment. All patients completed a follow-up assessment 1 month post-treatment. Patients with a good performance status and receiving stereotactic radiosurgery completed an additional 1 week follow-up assessment after the initial baseline interview to assess test-retest reliability. Results: Forty patients had complete 1 month follow-up data. Ten of these patients also completed the 1 week follow-up assessment from baseline. The median Karnofsky performance status of patients was 80 and the median age was 64 years. All subscales of the FACT-Br were found to be conceptually related (except for two correlations) using the following subscales: physical well-being (PWB), social/family well-being (SWB), emotional well-being (EWB), functional well-being (FWB), FACT-G total score, brain cancer subscale (BrC), and the FACT-Br total score. All FACT-Br scores demonstrated excellent reliability, except for the SWB scale which revealed good reliability. The FACT-Br scores showed no significant change in the quality of life (QoL) of patients from baseline to 1 month follow-up. Conclusion: The use of the combined FACT-G and FACT-Br Subscale to assess QoL specifically in patients with brain metastases has successfully undergone psychometric validation. Future clinical trials should use the FACT-G and FACT-Br Subscale to assess QoL in this patient population.",

keywords = "Brain metastases, FACT-Br, FACT-G, Field-testing, Psychometric validation, Quality of life, Questionnaire",

author = "Nemica Thavarajah and Gillian Bedard and Liying Zhang and David Cella and Beaumont, {Jennifer L.} and May Tsao and Elizabeth Barnes and Cyril Danjoux and Arjun Sahgal and Hany Soliman and Edward Chow",

note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgments We thank the generous support of the Bratty Family Fund, Michael and Karyn Goldstein Cancer Research Fund, Joseph and Silvana Melara Cancer Research Fund, and the Ofelia Cancer Research Fund. Copyright: Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

year = "2014",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1007/s00520-013-2060-8",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "22",

pages = "1017--1028",

journal = "Supportive Care in Cancer",

issn = "0941-4355",

publisher = "Springer Verlag",

number = "4",

}

Thavarajah, N, Bedard, G, Zhang, L, Cella, D, Beaumont, JL, Tsao, M, Barnes, E, Danjoux, C, Sahgal, A, Soliman, H & Chow, E 2014, 'Psychometric validation of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-brain (FACT-Br) for assessing quality of life in patients with brain metastases', Supportive Care in Cancer, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 1017-1028. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-013-2060-8

TY - JOUR

T1 - Psychometric validation of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-brain (FACT-Br) for assessing quality of life in patients with brain metastases

AU - Thavarajah, Nemica

AU - Bedard, Gillian

AU - Zhang, Liying

AU - Cella, David

AU - Beaumont, Jennifer L.

AU - Tsao, May

AU - Barnes, Elizabeth

AU - Danjoux, Cyril

AU - Sahgal, Arjun

AU - Soliman, Hany

AU - Chow, Edward

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgments We thank the generous support of the Bratty Family Fund, Michael and Karyn Goldstein Cancer Research Fund, Joseph and Silvana Melara Cancer Research Fund, and the Ofelia Cancer Research Fund. Copyright: Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2014/4

Y1 - 2014/4

N2 - Objective: This study aimed to test the reliability, psychometric, and clinical validity of the use of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain (FACT-Br) in patients with brain metastases. Methods: Patients with brain metastases were interviewed using the FACT-Br (including the FACT-general) 1 week prior to treatment. All patients completed a follow-up assessment 1 month post-treatment. Patients with a good performance status and receiving stereotactic radiosurgery completed an additional 1 week follow-up assessment after the initial baseline interview to assess test-retest reliability. Results: Forty patients had complete 1 month follow-up data. Ten of these patients also completed the 1 week follow-up assessment from baseline. The median Karnofsky performance status of patients was 80 and the median age was 64 years. All subscales of the FACT-Br were found to be conceptually related (except for two correlations) using the following subscales: physical well-being (PWB), social/family well-being (SWB), emotional well-being (EWB), functional well-being (FWB), FACT-G total score, brain cancer subscale (BrC), and the FACT-Br total score. All FACT-Br scores demonstrated excellent reliability, except for the SWB scale which revealed good reliability. The FACT-Br scores showed no significant change in the quality of life (QoL) of patients from baseline to 1 month follow-up. Conclusion: The use of the combined FACT-G and FACT-Br Subscale to assess QoL specifically in patients with brain metastases has successfully undergone psychometric validation. Future clinical trials should use the FACT-G and FACT-Br Subscale to assess QoL in this patient population.

AB - Objective: This study aimed to test the reliability, psychometric, and clinical validity of the use of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain (FACT-Br) in patients with brain metastases. Methods: Patients with brain metastases were interviewed using the FACT-Br (including the FACT-general) 1 week prior to treatment. All patients completed a follow-up assessment 1 month post-treatment. Patients with a good performance status and receiving stereotactic radiosurgery completed an additional 1 week follow-up assessment after the initial baseline interview to assess test-retest reliability. Results: Forty patients had complete 1 month follow-up data. Ten of these patients also completed the 1 week follow-up assessment from baseline. The median Karnofsky performance status of patients was 80 and the median age was 64 years. All subscales of the FACT-Br were found to be conceptually related (except for two correlations) using the following subscales: physical well-being (PWB), social/family well-being (SWB), emotional well-being (EWB), functional well-being (FWB), FACT-G total score, brain cancer subscale (BrC), and the FACT-Br total score. All FACT-Br scores demonstrated excellent reliability, except for the SWB scale which revealed good reliability. The FACT-Br scores showed no significant change in the quality of life (QoL) of patients from baseline to 1 month follow-up. Conclusion: The use of the combined FACT-G and FACT-Br Subscale to assess QoL specifically in patients with brain metastases has successfully undergone psychometric validation. Future clinical trials should use the FACT-G and FACT-Br Subscale to assess QoL in this patient population.

KW - Brain metastases

KW - FACT-Br

KW - FACT-G

KW - Field-testing

KW - Psychometric validation

KW - Quality of life

KW - Questionnaire

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Psychometric validation of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-brain (FACT-Br) for assessing quality of life in patients with brain metastases

Abstract

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Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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