Table 2.
HRQOL instruments used in eligible studies
| Instrument | Type | Goals | Domains/subscales |
| Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) | Generic | Measure of emotional distress | Nine clinical scales and three summary scales. Global severity index (GSI): sensitive measure of overall distress. |
| Chronic Strains Survey (CSS) | Generic | Measure of persistent stressful conditions | Items concerning the existence and perceived burden of economical and social difficulties, strains in work life, alcohol or drug abuse, other chronic diseases, etc. |
| EuroQol Group (EQ-5D) | Generic | A five-dimensional health state classification | Five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. |
| Health and Activities Limitation Index (HALex) | Generic | Provides a HRQOL utility score | A single numerical value for the health state based on patients’ perceived health status in conjunction with any activity limitation they might experience. 0 = near death state to 1 = perfect health with no limitations. Previously validated against a large population of subjects. |
| Short Form-36 (SF-36) | Generic | Assesses health functioning; often used as a general measure of HRQOL | Eight subscales: physical functioning, vitality, social functioning, general health, bodily pain, physical role, emotional role and mental health. |
| Two component summary scales: physical and mental component summary scales (PCS and MCS). | |||
| European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC QLQ-C30) | Cancer specific | Assesses the HRQOL of cancer patients participating in international clinical trials | Five functional scales: physical (PF), role (RF), cognitive (CF), emotional (EF) and social (SF). |
| Three symptom scales: fatigue (FA), pain (PA), nausea and vomiting (NV). | |||
| A global health status / QOL scale (QL). | |||
| Six single items assessing additional symptoms commonly reported by cancer patients: dyspnoea (DY), loss of appetite (AP), insomnia (SL), constipation (CO), diarrhoea (DI). | |||
| A single item on the perceived financial impact of the disease (FI). | |||
| Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Melanoma (FACT-M) | Melanoma specific | Assesses the HRQOL of melanoma patients participating in clinical trials | Fact-G items (general) questions. |
| Melanoma-specific sub-scale: 24 items encompassing three HRQOL domains: physical, emotional and social well-being. | |||
| Cassileth Scar Questionnaire | Therapy specific | Investigates patients’ opinion on the size and cosmetic implications of their excisions | 12 items, each scored from 1 to 4 (minimum to maximum negative cosmetic impact). The questionnaire also contains outline drawings of the human body on which patients are asked to indicate the size, shape and location of their scar [16]. |