Does the generic cancer outcome measure EORTC QLQ-C30 work in Myelofibrosis? (ISPOR 20th Annual International Meeting 16-20 May 2015)

The EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) is a validated patient reported outcome measure for cancer patients which has been developed for application across different types of cancers to assess health related quality of life (HRQoL) 1. Myelofibrosis (MF) is a rare but serious bone-marrow cancer in which proliferation of an abnormal type of bone marrow stem cell results in fibrosis, or the replacement of the marrow with collagenous connective tissue fibres. Spleen enlargement is a consequence of the resulting extra-medullary haematopoiesis and can cause symptoms (abdominal pain, early satiety and difficulty breathing) as well as complications such as portal hypertension, splenic infarction and vascular events. Patients also have symptoms such as fever, night sweats, weight loss and itching. There is limited evidence on the validity of the EORTC QLQ-C30 in this population therefore this study aimed to provide evidence of its validity.