Responsiveness of the EQ-5D in breast cancer patients in their first year after treatment

doi:10.1186/1477-7525-7-11

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Volume 7

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Research

Responsiveness of the EQ-5D in breast cancer patients in their first year after treatment

Merel L Kimman¹^,2 , Carmen D Dirksen³ , Philippe Lambin¹^,2 and Liesbeth J Boersma¹^,2

¹MAASTRO Clinic, School for Oncology and Developmental Biology (GROW), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands

²Department of Radiation Oncology (MAASTRO), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands

³Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Technology Assessment, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands

author email corresponding author email

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2009, 7:11doi:10.1186/1477-7525-7-11


Published:	7 February 2009

Abstract

Background/aim

The EQ-5D is a generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measure that is used for the purpose of economic evaluations of health interventions. Therefore, it has to be responsive to meaningful changes in health in the patient population under investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the responsiveness of the EQ-5D in breast cancer patients in their first year after treatment.

Methods

The subscale global health of the disease-specific HRQoL measure EORTC QLQ-C30 was used as a reference instrument to determine meaningful changes in health and identify subgroups of patients: patients reporting a moderate-large deterioration, small deterioration, a small improvement, moderate-large improvement, or no change in health status. Responsiveness was evaluated by calculating standardized response means (SRMs) in the five subgroups of patients and performing analysis of variance procedures. The two HRQoL measures were filled out two weeks and one year after finalizing curative treatment for breast cancer (n = 192).

Results

The EQ-5D was able to capture both improvements and deteriorations in HRQoL. SRMs of the EQ VAS and EQ-5D Index were close to zero in the subgroup reporting no change and increased and decreased adequately in the subgroups reporting small and moderate changes. Additional analysis of variance procedures showed that the EQ-5D was able to differentiate between subgroups of patients with no change and moderate-large deterioration or improvement in health.

Conclusion

The EQ-5D seems an appropriate measure for the purpose of economic evaluations of health intervention in breast cancer patients after treatment.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN74071417.