Ambulatory cancer and US general population reference values and cutoff scores for the functional assessment of cancer therapy

BACKGROUND Health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) measures are commonly used in oncology research. Interest in their use for monitoring or screening is increasing. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) is one of the most widely used HRQOL instruments. Consequently, oncology researchers and practitioners have an increasing need for reference values for the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General (FACT‐G) and its 7‐item rapid version, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General 7 (FACT‐G7), to compare FACT scores across specific subgroups of patients in research trials and practice. The objectives of this study are to provide 1) reference values from a sample of the general US adult population and a sample of adults diagnosed with cancer and 2) cutoff scores for quality of life. METHODS A sample of the general US population (N = 1075) and a sample of patients with cancer from 12 studies (N = 5065) were analyzed. Cutoff scores were established using distribution‐ and anchor‐based methods. Mean values for the cancer sample were analyzed by performance status, cancer type, and disease status. Also, t tests and established criteria for meaningful differences were used to compare values. RESULTS FACT‐G and FACT‐G7 scores in the general US population sample and cancer sample were generally comparable. Among the sample of patients with cancer, FACT‐G and FACT‐G7 scores worsened with declining performance status and increasing disease status. CONCLUSIONS These data will aid interpretation of the magnitude and meaning of FACT scores, and allow for comparisons of scores across studies. Cancer 2014;120:2902–2909. © 2014 American Cancer Society. This study provides 1) reference values from a sample of the general US adult population and a sample of adults diagnosed with cancer and 2) cutoff scores for quality of life for the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General (FACT‐G) and the 7‐item FACT‐G7. These data will aid researchers and oncologists with interpreting the magnitude and meaning of their own findings on 2 FACT measures and allow for comparisons of scores across groups in trials.