Validation of the 7‐item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy‐General (FACT‐G7) as a short measure of quality of life in patients with advanced cancer

Background Assessing quality of life is essential for individuals with advanced cancer, but lengthy assessments can be burdensome. The authors investigated the psychometric characteristics of the FACT‐G7, a 7‐item quality‐of‐life measure derived from the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy‐Gener...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cancer 2020-08, Vol.126 (16), p.3750-3757
Main Authors: Mah, Kenneth, Swami, Nadia, Le, Lisa W., Chow, Ronald, Hannon, Breffni L., Rodin, Gary, Zimmermann, Camilla
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cancer
Cancer therapies
End of life
Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy‐General 7‐item scale (FACT‐G7)
metastatic
Oncology
outcomes assessment
palliative care
Patients
Quality assessment
Quality of life
validation studies
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Summary:Background Assessing quality of life is essential for individuals with advanced cancer, but lengthy assessments can be burdensome. The authors investigated the psychometric characteristics of the FACT‐G7, a 7‐item quality‐of‐life measure derived from the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy‐General (FACT‐G) scale, in advanced cancer. Methods Data were obtained from outpatients with advanced cancer who were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of early palliative care. At baseline, 228 intervention participants and 233 control participants (N = 461) completed the FACT‐G and measures of symptom severity, quality of life near the end of life, problematic medical communication, and satisfaction with care. Follow‐up measures were administered monthly for 4 months. Results The FACT‐G7 showed good internal consistency (Cronbach α = .72‐.80), and its single‐factor structure was supported. It correlated strongly with the FACT‐G total, physical, and functional indices and with symptom severity (absolute r = 0.73‐0.92); more moderately with the FACT‐G emotional index and with symptom impact and preparation for the end of life (r = .40‐.71); and least with the FACT‐G social/family index and with relationship with health care provider, life completion, problematic medical communication, and care satisfaction measures (absolute r = .26‐.44). Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status groups differed on FACT‐G7 scores, as expected (all P 
ISSN:0008-543X
1097-0142
DOI:10.1002/cncr.32981