EORTC CAT

Principal investigator(s)
Mogens Grønvold
University of Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Denmark
Project coordinator(s)
Morten Aa. Petersen
Denmark

Project summary

To optimize measurement precision and flexibility a computerized adaptive test version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 has been developed. In CAT assessment, the selection of items is tailored to the individual based on responses to prior items. Item banks, from which the CAT selects items, have been developed for all symptom and functional domains of the QLQ-C30. These each comprise between 7-34 items and the new instrument comprises a total of 262 items. Evaluations indicate higher measurement precision and thereby increased statistical power of the CAT compared to the QLQ-C30. Thus, using the CAT, sample sizes may be reduced by approximately 20-35% on average without loss of power.

More info

Achievements

  • Developed CAT item banks of 7-34 items for the symptom and functional domains of the EORTC QLQ-C30. The new instrument comprises a total of 262 items.
  • Developed software for conducting online CAT assessment and for selecting items for short forms
  • Collected general population data from 13 European countries (plus from USA and Canada) to norm the EORTC CAT scoring and to be used as reference data.
  • Validated the CAT system in an international sample of cancer patients

Future plans

  • Finalise validation of the CAT
  • Update all CAT related software
  • Generate a selection of ‘ready to use’ standard CAT-settings and short forms with different properties
  • Examine the relevance of splitting up and/or expanding the current item banks

For patients

Knowledge about an individual’s health-related quality of life is typically obtained using questionnaires. In standard questionnaires everyone answers the same questions, but this means some questions may not be relevant/informative for some individuals. Computerized adaptive testing is a technic that allows for selecting questions, using a specialized computer program, particularly relevant for the individual. The EORTC has developed an adaptive version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. This adaptive version allows for more precise and personalized measurement of health-related quality of life.

Publications

  • Petersen MA, Groenvold M, Aaronson NK, Chie WC, Conroy T, Costantini A et al (2010). Development of computerised adaptive testing (CAT) for the EORTC QLQ-C30 dimensions – General approach and initial results for physical functioning. European Journal of Cancer, 46, 1352-1358.
  • Petersen MA, Groenvold M, Aaronson NK, Chie WC, Conroy T, Costantini A et al (2011). Development of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) for the EORTC QLQ-C30 physical functioning dimension. Quality of Life Research, 20(4), 479-490.
  • Giesinger JM, Petersen MA, Groenvold M, Aaronson NK, Arraras JI, Conroy T et al (2011). Cross-cultural development of an item list for computer-adaptive testing of fatigue in oncological patients. Health Qual Life Outcomes, 9(19)
  • Petersen MA, Aaronson NK, Arraras JI, Chie WC, Conroy T, Costantini A et al (2012). The EORTC computer-adaptive tests measuring physical functioning and fatigue exhibited high levels of measurement precision and efficiency. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 66(3), 330-339.
  • Petersen MA, Giesinger JM, Holzner B, Arraras JI, Conroy T, Gamper EM et al (2013). Psychometric evaluation of the EORTC computerized adaptive test (CAT) fatigue item pool. Quality of Life Research, 22(9), 2443-2454.
  • Petersen MA, Groenvold M. (2013). Development of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) for the EORTC QLQ-C30. MAPI PRO Newsletter, Spring 2013
  • Gamper EM, Groenvold M, Petersen MA, Young T, Costantini A, Aaronson NK et al (2014). The EORTC Emotional Functioning computer adaptive test (CAT): phase I-III of a cross-cultural item bank development. Psycho-Oncology, 23, 397-403.
  • Thamsborg LH, Petersen MA, Aaronson NK, Chie WC, Costantini A, Holzner B et al (2014). Development of a lack of appetite item bank for computer-adaptive testing (CAT). Support Care Cancer, 23(6), 1541-1548.
  • Petersen MA, Aaronson NK, Chie WC, Conroy T, Costantini A, Hammerlid E, Hjermstad MJ, Kaasa S, Loge JH, Velikova G, Young T, Groenvold M. Development of an item bank for computerized adaptive test (CAT) measurement of pain. Quality of Life Research 2016; 25: 1-11.
  • Petersen MA, Gamper EM, Costantini A, Giesinger JM, Holzner B, Johnson C et al (2015). An emotional functioning item bank of 24 items for computer adaptive testing (CAT) was established. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 70, 90-100.
  • Gamper EM, Petersen MA, Aaronson NK, Costantini A, Giesinger JM, Holzner B et al (2016). Development of an Item Bank for the EORTC Role Functioning Computer Adaptive Test (EORTC RF-CAT). Health Qual Life Outcomes, 14(72)
  • Dirven, L., Taphoorn, M. J. B., Groenvold, M., Habets, E. J. J., Aaronson, N. K., Conroy, T., et al. (2017). Development of an item bank for computerized adaptive testing of self-reported cognitive difficulty in cancer patients. Neuro-Oncology Practice. doi:10.1093/nop/npw026
  • Dirven L, Groenvold M, Taphoorn MJB, Conroy T, Tomaszewski KA, Young T, Petersen MA; EORTC Quality of Life Group. Psychometric evaluation of an item bank for computerized adaptive testing of the EORTC QLQ-C30 cognitive functioning dimension in cancer patients.  Quality of Life Research 2017;26(11):2919-2929.
  • Nottelman, L., Groenvold, M., Vejlgaard, T. B., Petersen, M. Aa., & Jensen, L. H. (2017). A parallel-group randomized clinical trial of individually tailored, multidisciplinary, palliative rehabilitation for patients with newly diagnosed advanced cancer: The Pal-Rehab study protocol. BMC Cancer, 560, 1-10.
  • Jabbarian LJ, Groenvold M, Petersen MAa, Christensen CA, Deliens Luc, van der Heide A, Kars MC, Miccinesi G, Payne S, Wilcock A, Korfage IJ on behalf of the ACTION consortium. Assessing Emotional Functioning with Increased Power: Relative Validity of a Customized EORTC Short-Form in the International ACTION Trial. Value in Health 2019; 22: 92-98.
  • Petersen, M. A., Aaronson, N. K., Arraras, J. I., Chie, W.-C., Conroy, T., Costantini, A. (2018). The EORTC CAT Core – The computer adaptive version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Eur J Cancer, 100, 8-16
  • Liegl G, Petersen MA, Groenvold M, Aaronson NK, Costantini A, Fayers PM, Holzner B, Johnson CD, Kemmler G, Tomaszewski KA, Waldmann A, Young TE, Rose M, Nolte S; EORTC Quality of Life Group. Establishing the European Norm for the health-related quality of life domains of the computer-adaptive test EORTC CAT Core. European Journal of Cancer 2019; 107: 133-141.
  • Gamper, E. M., Martini, C., Petersen, M. A., Virgolini, I., Holzner, B., & Giesinger, J. M. (2019). Do patients consider computer-adaptive measures more appropriate than static questionnaires? J Patient Rep. Outcomes, 3(1), 7.
  • Jorgensen, S. L., Mogensen, O., Petersen, M. A., Wu, C. S., & Jensen, P. T. (2019). New insights into early recovery after robotic surgery for endometrial cancer. Gynecol.Oncol., 2(271), 276.
  • Giesinger, J. M., Loth, F. L. C., Aaronson, N. K., Arraras, J. I., Caocci, G., Efficace, F. et al (2019). Thresholds for clinical importance were defined for the EORTC CAT Core – an adaptive measure of core quality of life domains in oncology clinical practice and research. J Clin.Epidemiol., 117, 117-125.
  • Petersen, M. Aa., Aaronson, N. K., Conroy, T., Costantini, A., Giesinger, J. M., Hammerlid, E. et al (2020). International validation of the EORTC CAT Core – a new adaptive instrument for measuring core quality of life domains in cancer. Quality of Life Research, 29(5), 1405-1417.
  • Marta, G., de Souza, T., de Souza e Silva, A., Pereira, A., Neto, D., Asso, R., Degrande, F., Miranda, F., Nader-Marta, G., Da Silva, M., Gadia, R., Hanna, S., Holzner, B., Saad, E., & Petersen, M. A. (2021). Brazilian Validation of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Group (QLG) Computerised Adaptive Tests (CAT) Core. Curr Oncol, 28, 3373–3383.
  • Puskulluoglu, M., Petersen, M. A., Holzner, B., Kemmler, G., Velikova, G., Young, T., Tomaszewska, I., Groenvold, M., & Group, E. Q. o. L. (2022). Development of an EORTC Item Bank for Computer-Adaptive Testing of Nausea and Vomiting. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 36(6), 151341.
  • Vachon, H., Petersen, M. A., Pe, M., Reijneveld, J. C., & Groenvold, M. (2022). Another look at floor and ceiling effects in the EORTC QLQ-C30 Physical Functioning subscale and possible solutions. Cancer, 128(12), 2384-2385.