Simultaneous measurement of XXXX specific quality of life and general health status in gynecologic @entity5 .

@entity1 @entity43 @entity5 @entity158
UNASSIGNED: 8253 Background: Cancer specific questionnaires such as the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) are sensitive to quality of life (qol) effects due to illness and treatment, but interpretation may be hampered by response shifts if @entity1 's perception of qol changes over the course of their illness. The SF-36 Health Survey is designed to measure health in a variety of disease states and may be more likely to measure a decline with severity of illness. Using the SF-36 would allow for interpretation of qol relative to defined populations as well as previously measured health status. METHODS: Ninety @entity1 undergoing surgery for @entity43 or a benign adnexal mass completed the FACT-G and the SF-36 pre-operatively and 6 months following surgery. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to compare scores from similar scales obtained by the two questionnaires at baseline. Significance was set at .01 due to multiple tests performed. RESULTS: Significant changes over 6 months were seen in the FACT emotional and functional scales and the bodily @entity158 and mental health subscales of the SF-36. SF-36 data at baseline and 6 months were similar to age and gender specific national norms. The physical and functional scales of the FACT were significantly correlated with the physical scales of the SF-36 (p's<.01). The emotional scale of the FACT was significantly correlated with the mental health scales of the SF-36 (p's<.01), but the social scale of the FACT was only correlated with the SF-36 vitality subscale (p<.01). CONCLUSIONS: The FACT and SF-36 physical scales were highly correlated suggesting that @entity1 are responding similarly within the physical domain at the beginning of their illness. The FACT questionnaire appears more sensitive to changes resulting from @entity5 and treatment, but may benefit from being used with the SF-36 for malignancy that progresses. Under these conditions, SF-36 scores are likely to decrease but @entity1 may "compensate" by changing their definition of qol as measured with the FACT. Reported qol using the FACT can then be evaluated within the context of their general health status measured with the SF-36. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
