• Kikuko Miyazaki, Yoshimi Suzukamo, Kojiro Shimozuma, and Takeo Nakayama.
• Department of Health Informatics, School of Public Health, Kyoto University, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan. miy@plum.ocn.ne.jp
• Qual Life Res. 2012 Mar 1;21(2):335-40.

PurposeWe compared Japanese versions of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL and QLQ-C30 to assess the utility of the former survey for terminal-phase cancer patients.MethodsWe used QLQ-C30 scores from the survey prior to each patient's death and extracted QLQ-C15-PAL data. We determined intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of the five QLQ-C15-PAL subscales: physical functioning, emotional functioning, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and global health status/quality of life (QOL) and assessed equivalent-form reliability. Regression analysis was used to determine the extent to which QLQ-C15-PAL items explained the QLQ-C30 score.ResultsOur study included 32 of 91 cancer patients receiving palliative care who could self-administer the questionnaire. The ICC between the QLQ-C15-PAL and QLQ-C30 scores was 0.93 or higher. The proportion of variance (R-squared) for each subscale was 0.87 or higher.ConclusionWe examined the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the QLQ-C15-PAL. We found an 87% or higher chance that the QLQ-C15-PAL could explain the original QLQ-C30 score. Therefore, QLQ-C15-PAL appears to be useful for assessing the QOL of terminal-phase cancer patients.

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