Development and pilot‐testing of the expanded prostate index composite – Filipino version (EPIC‐F)

Abstract

Introduction: Quality-of-life (QOL) is paramount in clinical decision-making in the management of prostate cancer patients. The expanded prostate index composite (EPIC) is a widely used and well-validated QOL tool that allows for the evaluation of bowel, urinary, sexual, and hormonal domains. A Filipino translation was previously lacking. We describe the development and pilot testing of the Filipino translation of the EPIC (EPIC-F). Methodology:The EPIC-32 was translated into Filipino using iterative forward and backward procedures with checks for semantic congruency. The translation was then evaluated by an expert panel consisting of a prostate cancer survivor and pertinent health professionals. A focused group discussion (FGD) was conducted to explore sources of difficulty of use to guide improvement. Results:The linguistically validated translation was evaluated to have cultural relevancy, adequacy, and representativeness by the expert panel, and to have good understandability and answerability by a representative pilot cohort of prostate cancer patients. Seven unsatisfactory items were identified, all pertaining to the sexual domain, and required minimal revision on review during the FGD. Conclusion:The EPIC-F is a linguistically and culturally validated version of the EPIC 32, with good understandability and answerability, permitting clinical use. Its psychometric properties need to be determined to define its utility in clinical research.

Interdisciplinary and Regional Cooperation Towards Head and Neck Cancer Interventional Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy) Implementation in Southeast Asia

“…[20] For most other low-to middle-income countries (LMICs), implementing IRT for HNCs might be a challenge. [18,21,22] In many healthcare facilities, adequately equipped radiotherapy facilities and skilled radiation oncologists and radiotherapy and nursing personnel are lacking -strategic organizational planning and professional training will be critical. [18,21,23] The evidence base for IRT, while growing, remains limited.…”

“…[18,21,22] In many healthcare facilities, adequately equipped radiotherapy facilities and skilled radiation oncologists and radiotherapy and nursing personnel are lacking -strategic organizational planning and professional training will be critical. [18,21,23] The evidence base for IRT, while growing, remains limited. Furthermore, local and regional studies are scarce.…”

“…This scarcity is even more glaring in resource-limited settings, where treatments must meet an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio to be better justified. [18] Finally, the awareness among radiation oncologists and other specialists regarding the recent evolution of IRT and associated improvement in clinical outcomes also remain limited, as evidenced by the common omission of brachytherapy lectures or discussions in recent multispecialty head-and-neck oncology conferences. [24] This would be instrumental as cancer management in general has become multidisciplinary and IRT has become increasingly interdisciplinary.…”