Health Outcomes ResearchPsychometric Characteristics of a Condition-specific, Health-related Quality-of-life Survey: The FACT-Vanderbilt Cystectomy Index
Section snippets
The FACT-VCI
The FACT-VCI was developed using input from experts in the treatment of bladder cancer and patients who previously underwent RC and UD and is validated using postoperative data (available as supplementary material online).10 It is based on the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General (FACT-G) questionnaire, which is a validated and reliable tool that measures generic HRQOL in patients being treated for cancer.14 The FACT-VCI consists of the FACT-G along with 17 additional questions (the
Demographic and Clinical Data
One-hundred ninety patients were included in the analyses. Average age at the time of surgery was 67 ± 10 years, 61% were male, and 53% of patients underwent ONB, while 37% underwent IC. Sixty-eight percent of patients had ≥T2 disease and 86% had negative lymph nodes.
Principal Components Analyses
Exploratory principal components analysis of postoperative VCI data indicated that the items were best represented by a single component solution ([VCI-15]; Table 1), which accounted for 33% of the total item covariance (overall
Comment
A comprehensive analysis of the psychometric properties of the gender-neutral VCI items indicated that a simple 15-item summary (VCI-15) is a reliable and valid instrument for the measurement of condition-specific HRQOL before and after RC and UD in men and women with bladder cancer. The survey should be scored such that responses on items 1–15 are summed to form a total score, and VCI items 16 (“I am interested in sex”) and 17 (“I am able to have and maintain an erection”) are scored
Conclusions
Analyses of the psychometric properties of the FACT-VCI demonstrate that a simple 15-item summary score, the VCI-15, is a gender-neutral, reliable, and valid measure of condition-specific HRQOL in patients who undergo RC and UD. Future studies of bladder cancer patients should prospectively measure HRQOL using validated, condition-specific forms, such as the FACT-VCI.
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Arabic translation and linguistic validation of the questionnaire Bladder Cancer Index
2018, African Journal of UrologyQuality of Life After Radical Cystectomy
2018, Urologic Clinics of North AmericaCitation Excerpt :It centers on urinary, bowel, and sexual symptoms following cystectomy and is designed to be administered with the FACT-G core. The 17 questions are adapted from 3 previously validated instruments (the FACT-Bladder Cancer, FACT-Colorectal, and the Functional Assessment of Incontinence Therapy-Urinary).22,23 Each of the 17 items is scored on a 5-point Likert scale and added to form a single score without domains.
Financial Disclosure: The authors declare that they have no relevant financial interests.