Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38695992›Full record

ArticleJournal of patient-reported outcomes2024

General population normative values for the EORTC QLQ-C30 by age, sex, and health condition for the French general population.

Micha J Pilz, Fanny L C Loth, Sandra Nolte, Anna M M Thurner, Eva-Maria Gamper, Amélie Anota, Gregor Liegl, Johannes M Giesinger, EORTC Quality of Life Group

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of patient-reported outcomes, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. ISME communications · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
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  10. Symptom clusters and impact on quality of life in lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2024
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Micha J PilzHealth Outcomes Research Unit, University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innrain 43, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria.
Fanny L C LothPsychological Diagnostics and Intervention, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany.
Sandra NolteDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Anna M M ThurnerHealth Outcomes Research Unit, University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innrain 43, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria.
Eva-Maria GamperDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Amélie AnotaDepartment of Clinical Research and Innovation and Human and Social Sciences Department, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France.
Gregor LieglDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Johannes M GiesingerHealth Outcomes Research Unit, University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innrain 43, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria. johannes.giesinger@i-med.ac.at.
EORTC Quality of Life Group

Funding

European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer 001 2015
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGeneral population normative values for the widely used health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measure EORTC QLQ-C30 support the interpretation of trial results and HRQoL of patients in clinical practice. Here, we provide sex-, age- and health condition-specific normative values for the EORTC QLQ-C30 in the French general population.

methodsFrench general population data was collected in an international EORTC project. Online panels with quota samples were used to recruit sex and age groups. Number and type of comorbidities were assessed. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate general population values for each QLQ-C30 scale, separately for sex, age, and presence of one- and more chronic health conditions. A multivariate linear regression model has been developed to allow estimating the effect of sex, age, and the presence for one- and more chronic health conditions on EORTC QLQ-C30 scores. Data was weighted according to United Nation statistics adjusting for the proportion of sex and age groups.

resultsIn total, 1001 French respondents were included in our analyses. The weighted mean age was 47.9 years, 514 (51.3%) participants were women, and 497 (52.2%) participants reported at least one health condition. Men reported statistically significant better scores for Emotional Functioning (+9.6 points, p = 0.006) and Fatigue (-7.8 point; p = 0.04); women reported better profiles for Role Functioning (+8.7 points; p = 0.008) and Financial Difficulty (-7.8 points, p = 0.011). According to the regression model, the sex effect was statistically significant in eight scales; the effect of increasing age had a statistically significant effect on seven of the 15 EORTC QLQ-C30 scales. The sex- and age effect varied in its direction across the various scales. The presence of health conditions showed a strong negative effect on all scales.

conclusionThis is the first publication of detailed French normative values for the EORTC QLQ-C30. It aims to support the interpretation of HRQoL profiles in French cancer populations. The strong impact of health conditions on QLQ-C30 scores highlights the importance of considering the impact of comorbidities in cancer patients when interpreting HRQoL data.

Indexed as

Health StatusQuality of LifeAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAge FactorsChronic DiseaseFemaleFranceHumansMaleMiddle AgedReference ValuesSex FactorsSurveys and QuestionnairesComorbidityEORTC QLQ-C30FranceGeneral populationHealth-related quality of lifeNormative values

Identifiers

PMID38695992
PMCPMC11065800

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.