UICC International Cancer Technology Transfer Training Workshop on Quality of Life Assessment in Oncology

To promote the clinical application and research on quality of life outcome measures, we successfully obtained support from the UICC for an International Cancer Technology Transfer Fellowship to bring two internationally renowned experts: Professor Neil K Aaronson, Professor of clinical psychology from the University of Amsterdam and Professor Peter M Fayers, Professor of medical statistics from the University of Aberdeen to Hong Kong to conduct the captioned 3-day workshop on April 17-19, 2009. The workshop was organized by the Public Health Research Centre and the Centre for Cancer Research, Professor Cindy Lam and Dr. Daniel Fong co-chaired the organizing committee.

A total of 55 researchers and clinicians participated in the workshop. They showed an overall significant improvement in the understanding, confidence and attitudes of using HRQoL. All participants were satisfied with the training workshop. The workshop has come timely as health-related quality of life (HRQoL)is becoming an increasingly important outcome measure in clinical oncology research. HRQOL assessment can provide information on the psychosocial impact that cancer can have on the patients and their families. More systematic training opportunities on the use and development of HRQoL in Oncology are needed in Hong Kong.

All PhD students (Wendy Wong, Elegance Lam, Wen-Wei Huang, and Carlos Wong) of the FMU participated in this training workshop.

This workshop has been supported by a UICC International Cancer Technology Transfer Fellowship

UICC International Cancer Technology Transfer Training Workshops on

Quality of Life Assessment in Oncology

Hong Kong,April 17-19 2009

Speakers:

  1. Professor Neil K Aaronson

Head, Division of Division of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology

The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  1. Professor Peter M Fayers

Medical Statistics

Division of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK

Each 3-hour session will include both didactic and interactive components. Participants are encouraged to actively participate by bringing up issues arise from their own work

Day 1

Title / Chapter1 / Lecturer / Time
Quality of Life Assessment- Principles and Concepts
Welcome, introduction / DF / 9:30 – 09:45
What is quality of life; why measure it in oncology? / 1 / NA / 9:45 – 10:45
Discussion / 10:45 – 10:30
Break / 15 mins
Principles of measurement scales / 2 / PF / 11:15 – 12:15
Discussion / 12:15 – 12:30
Lunch / (12:30 – 14:00)
Quality of Life Assessment in Oncology
HRQOL measures used in oncology / NA / 14:00 – 14:30
Group exercise / 14:30 – 15:30
Break / 15 mins
Questionnaire development / 3 / PF / 15:45 – 16:30
Discussion / 16:30 – 17:00

Day 2

Best Practices for HRQOL Instrument Development in Oncology
Test validity and multi-item scales / 4, 5 / PF / 9:30 – 10:15
Modern Test approaches – IRT/CAT / 7 / PF / 10:15 – 11:00
Break
/ 15 mins
Clinical interpretation / 18 / PF / 11:15 – 12:00
Discussion / 12:00 – 12:30
Lunch / (12:30 – 14:00)
Methods of Translation and Cross-cultural Adaptations
Translation & cross-cultural equivalence
/ NA/PF / 14:00 – 14:45
Group work/discussion
/ 14:45 – 15:45
Break
/ 15 mins
HRQOL assessment in clinical practice / NA / 16:00 – 16:30
Discussion / 16:30 – 17:00

Day 3

Designing Quality of Life Studies in Oncology
Clinical trials – organisational aspects / 10 / PF / 9:30 – 10:15
Sample size / 11 / PF / 10:15 – 11:00
Break
/ 15 mins
Response shift / PF / 11:15 – 12:00
HRQOL in Clinical Trials: Success stories / NA / 12:00 – 12:30
Lunch / (12:30 – 14:00)
Analysis, Interpretation and Utilisation of Quality of Life Data
Dragons’ Den – Group exercise: Design an HRQOL study
/ NA/PF / 14:00 – 15:15
Break
/ 15 mins
Dragons’ DEN – Plenary presentations/discussion
/ 15:30 – 16:45
Round-up/Closing Remarks / CL / 16:45 – 17:00

Notes:

  1. Numbers in the second column refer to chapters in Fayers PM & Machin D: Quality of Life: The Assessment, Analysis and Interpretation of Patient-reported Outcomes (2nd edn), Wiley & Sons, Chichester (2007) ISBN-13: 978-0-470-02452-2
  2. NA= Neil Aaronson; PF = Peter Fayers; CL=Cindy Lam