Reliability and Validity of the Taiwan Chinese Version of the EORTC QLQ-PR25 in Assessing Quality of Life of Prostate Cancer Patients

Background/Purpose: This study examined the psychometric properties and clinical validity of the EORTC QLQ-PR25, a questionnaire for assessing the quality of life of patients with prostate cancer. Methods: The Taiwan Chinese version of the prostate cancer module (EORTC QLQ-PR25) and the core questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30) were administered to 81 patients with prostate cancer after they had been treated with surgery or hormone therapy or both. The QLQ-PR25 module assesses urinary symptoms, bowel symptoms, hormonal treatment-related symptoms, sexual activity and sexual functioning. Results: The questionnaires were well accepted by the patients and very few of the items had missing data. Only the urinary symptom scale showed satisfactory internal consistency. Scales were able to differentiate clinical groups of patients with corresponding symptoms, but the differences were smaller than that of major functioning scales in the core questionnaire. Conclusion: The Taiwan Chinese version of the EORTC QLQ-PR25 is acceptable in patients with prostate cancer in Taiwan, able to differentiate corresponding symptoms, but the scale structure needs further improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]