International validation of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-BRECON23 quality-of-life questionnaire for women undergoing breast reconstruction

Abstract

The QLQ-BRECON23 is an internationally validated tool to be used alongside the EORTC QLQ-C30 (cancer) and QLQ-BR23 (breast cancer) questionnaires for evaluating quality of life and satisfaction after breast reconstruction.

Immediate and delayed autologous abdominal microvascular flap breast reconstruction in patients receiving adjuvant, neoadjuvant or no radiotherapy: a meta-analysis of clinical and quality-of-life outcomes

“…Three studies used the BREAST‐Q and one used the breast cancer‐specific questionnaire (EORTC QLQ‐BR23). One small study reported significantly better ‘satisfaction with breast’ ( P = 0·008) after a median follow‐up of 27·5 months for PMRT compared with 48·7 months for no radiotherapy ( Table S2 , supporting information).…”

“…Secondary outcomes were assessed using patient‐reported QOL‐validated questionnaires (COnsensus‐based Standards for the Selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN), Breast Questionnaire (BREAST‐Q), the EORTC Quality‐of‐Life Questionnaire (QLQ) – Breast Cancer 23, the Quality‐of‐Life Cancer Generic Questionnaire (QLQ‐C30), the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), the Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System – Profile 29 (PROMIS‐29), the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD‐7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐9)), as well as assessment of cosmetic outcomes using independent panel or self assessments of medical photographs, and surface imaging using the Vectra® XT three‐dimensional system (Canfield Scientific, Parsippany, New Jersey, USA).…”

“…Clinically meaningful differences in QOL items/questions or domain scores may vary depending on response shift, that is a change in the meaning of QOL scores over time. This is relevant in longitudinal studies and may influence clinical significance, defined as greater than 5‐point score differences for EORTC QLQ‐C30 and QLQ‐BR23. Clinically meaningful differences are currently being evaluated using a number of methods such as qualitative interviews and using predefined clinical anchors.…”

Surgical treatment of multiple ipsilateral breast cancers

“…In future, comparative effectiveness studies should use the Breast Cancer Conservative Treatment cosmetic (BCCT.core), a digital software program for evaluation of cosmetic outcomes, alongside patient‐reported questionnaires on HRQoL and satisfaction with surgical outcomes. Although two HRQoL questionnaires assess the impact of breast surgery (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaire QLQ‐BRECON and BREAST‐Q), there are no validated questionnaires specifically for TM procedures.…”

Quality of life and patient-reported outcomes

“…QoL studies have the potential to reveal patient priorities or exclude the irrelevant, and here they also confounded surgeons' expectations of impact. The complexities of QoL are explicit in the article on the various instruments of a QoL questionnaire for women undergoing breast reconstruction following cancer removal. In essence, the correct questions are essential, unambiguously expressed and intelligible to all patients.…”