Validation study of the Japanese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Testicular Cancer 26 for patients with testicular cancer

Abstract

Objective To validate the Japanese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Testicular Cancer 26 in Japanese‐speaking testicular cancer survivors. Methods A total of 200 testicular cancer survivors were recruited at eight high‐volume institutions in Japan. The participants completed the Japanese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Testicular Cancer 26, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Core 30 and the International Index of Erectile Function 15 questionnaires. A total of 40 participants completed a retest of the questionnaires 2 weeks after the first response. The psychometric properties of the Japanese version including test–retest reliability, internal consistency and concurrent validity were evaluated. Results The mean age at response was 43 years (range 22–74 years), and the mean period after treatment was 77 months (range 0–416 months). The response rate for each item, except sexual function, was high, and the percentage of missing values was less than 3.5%. For test–retest reliability, seven of 12 scales met the criteria (intraclass correlation 0.70–0.86). For internal consistency, four of seven scales met the criteria (Cronbach’s alpha 0.62–0.91). For concurrent validity, treatment side effects of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Testicular Cancer 26 were related to some domains of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Core 30. The sex‐related subscales of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Testicular Cancer 26 were moderately correlated with some International Index of Erectile Function 15 domains. Conclusions The psychometric properties of the Japanese version are equivalent to the properties of the original European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Testicular Cancer 26. The Japanese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Testicular Cancer 26 questionnaire is a useful tool to assess the health‐related quality of life of testicular cancer patients.

The impact of testicular cancer and its treatment on masculinity: A systematic review

“…Five studies used the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL questionnaire (4 using EORTC QLQ‐26, 1 using EORTC QLQ‐30) that contains a single item about masculinity (i.e., “ have you felt less masculine as a result of your disease or treatment?’ ”[Version 26 in the past week]), with responses ranging from 1 = Not at all to 4 = Very much . These studies demonstrated a range of 12%–30% of men feeling less masculine 37,42–44 . One of these studies reported those who underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) reported greater impairment to self‐reported masculinity 43 .…”

“…Seven studies asked participants in a single item measure if they felt less masculine because of TC and its treatment. 37,[41][42][43][44][45][46] Five studies used the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL questionnaire (4 using EORTC QLQ-26, 1 using EORTC QLQ-30) that contains a single item about masculinity (i.e., "have you felt less masculine as a result of your disease or treatment?' "[Version 26 in the past week]), with responses ranging from 1 = Not at all to 4 = Very much.…”

“…These studies demonstrated a range of 12%-30% of men feeling less masculine. 37,[42][43][44] One of these studies reported those who underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) reported greater impairment to selfreported masculinity. 43 However, another study compared selfreported reduced masculinity to TC treatment types with no statistical difference.…”

“…37,[42][43][44] One of these studies reported those who underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) reported greater impairment to selfreported masculinity. 43 However, another study compared selfreported reduced masculinity to TC treatment types with no statistical difference. 44 The study with the lowest percentage of men impacted (12%) contained the lowest sample size (n = 25) and required all participants to be in a committed heterosexual relationship.…”

Fertility and reproductive technology use in testicular cancer survivors in Japan: A multi‐institutional, cross‐sectional study

“…16 We, thus, translated the EORTC QLQ-TC26 into Japanese in a linguistically valid manner, according to the methodology of the EORTC Quality of Life Group, 17 and the Japanese version of the EORTC QLQ-TC26 was validated in Japanese-speaking TC survivors. 18 In addition, the health-related quality of life of TC survivors was evaluated using the EORTC QLQ-TC26 in a multi-institutional, cross-sectional study in Japan. 19 The EORTC QLQ-TC26 questionnaire included an item about infertility (item 46).…”