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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 < .001). Improvements in FACT-G7 scores in the intervention group compared with the control group at 3-month (P = .049) and 4-month (P = .034) follow-up supported responsiveness to change and somewhat greater sensitivity than the FACT-G scores. CONCLUSIONS: The FACT-G7 is a valid, brief measure particularly of the physical and functional facets of quality of life. It may enable rapid quality-of-life assessments in patients with advanced cancer.
Mah et al. (Wed,) studied this question.