Validation of the functional assessment of cancer therapy esophageal cancer subscale

BACKGROUND. To develop and validate a quality of life subscale for patients with esophageal cancer to be used with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). METHODS. Prospective cohort study of patients with esophageal cancer treated with surgery alone or neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery evaluating the validity, internal consistency, and responsiveness to change of the FACT-Esophageal (FACT-E) when comparing it with the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ 30) and esophageal (OES 24) as well as clinical factors. RESULTS. The FACT-E demonstrated very good convergent and divergent validity when compared with the EORTC QLQ30 and OES 24 and clinical variables. Internal consistency was also good with coefficient alpha > 0.70 for all subscales and individual items. Stability coefficients were > 0.80. Changes in clinical status were reflected in changes in FACT-E scores demonstrating responsiveness to change, particularly in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy before surgery. CONCLUSIONS. The FACT-E met or exceeded all standards for validity, providing an option to measure health-related quality of life for different treatment strategies for esophageal cancer.