Development of the short version of the Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire: GCLQ-7

Abstract

ObjectiveThe Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire (GCLQ) was designed to identify gynecologic cancer patients with lower limb lymphedema (LLL). The questionnaire consists of 20 items distributed over 7 symptom clusters. The present study aimed to develop an abridged form of the GCLQ for simpler screening and more effective follow-up of LLL.MethodsData that had been collected for the development and validation of the Korean version of the GCLQ (GCLQ-K) were used in this study. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn according to the individual items of the GCLQ-K. Based on discrimination ability, the candidate items were selected in each symptom cluster. After combining the items, the best model was identified and named GCLQ-7. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was compared between the GCLQ-7 and the original GCLQ-K.ResultsIn total, 11 candidate items were selected from the original GCLQ-K. Among the models made with the candidate items, GCLQ-7, the best model, was constructed with 7 items as follows: 1) limited knee movement, 2) general swelling, 3) redness, 4) firmness/tightness, 5) groin swelling, 6) heaviness, and 7) aching. This model exhibited an AUC of 0.945 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.900–0.991), which is comparable with that of the original GCLQ-K (AUC, 0.867; 95% CI, 0.779–0.956). The best cutoff value was 2 points, at which the sensitivity and specificity were 97.0% and 76.5%, respectively.ConclusionThe newly developed short version model, GCLQ-7, showed acceptable discrimination ability as compared with the original GCLQ-K.

An Important Tool in Lymphedema Management: Validation of the Turkish Version of the Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire

“…The subsection providing the most successful differentiation was the general swelling section, followed by total points and the heaviness section. In other studies, related to the GCLQ, the sections with the highest points on the original GCLQ were the total points, general swelling section, and numbness section (9). In the Korean version of the GCLQ, the sections with the highest points were general swelling, total points, and heaviness sections (5).…”

“…The 95% confidence interval for the original GCLQ, in general, was shown to effectively differentiate patients with and without LE from 0.9-1.00. In studies in other countries, the validity of the questionnaire was studied in Korea and a short-form of the Korean version was prepared (5,9). The GCLQ-Korean version was found to have high-reliability values with a Cronbach α value of 0.83 and ICC of 0.96.…”

Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire-7 for Individuals with Gynecologic Cancer

“…The validity of the scale has been studied in Türkiye and Korea. The short form of the Korean version, GCLQ-7, has a Cronbach α value of 0.699 (Kim et al, 2017). It evaluates the current situation as well as the past four weeks.…”

“…It evaluates the current situation as well as the past four weeks. The questions are answered as yes (1) or no (0) and are scored accordingly to give a total score ranging from 0 to 7 (Kim et al, 2017). Translation: The GCLQ was adapted to Turkish by Abakay et al (Abakay, Abdulrezzak and Akbayrak, 2022).…”

“…The GCLQ is a simple 20-item diagnostic scale that aims to investigate whether LE is present in the lower extremities without posing any risk to the patient. The GCLQ-K is the Korean version of the scale, on which the 7-item GCLQ-7 version was then developed (Lim, Lee, Joo et al, 2014;Kim et al, 2017). In 2020, the GCLQ scale was adapted to the Turkish population by Abakay et al and was found to be valid and reliable (Abakay, Abdülrezzak and Akbayrak, 2022).…”