Registry for Esophageal and Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

"The EORTC QLQ-C30 has 30 items arranged into 9 scales and 6 single items. The scales are divided into 5 function scales (physical, role, cognitive, emotional, and social function), 3 symptom scales (fatigue, pain, and nausea or vomiting), and 1 global health status/quality-of-life scale. The 6 single items address specific symptoms (dyspnea, appetite loss, insomnia, constipation, and diarrhea) and the financial impact of the disease. Each item has 4 response alternatives: (1) not at all, (2) a little, (3) quite a bit, and (4) very much, except for the global health status/quality-of-life scale, which has response options ranging from (1) very poor to (7) excellent. For analysis, all questionnaire responses will be transformed into scores on a linear scale of 0 to 100 in accordance with the EORTC scoring manual. Mean scores with standard deviations will be calculated, with a higher score indicating a better health-related quality of life."

The QLQ-OGS25 is specific for esophageal, GEJ, or gastric cancer and consists of a symptom scale only. The QLQ-OGS25 has 6 scales: dysphagia, eating restrictions, reflux, odynophagia, pain, and anxiety. Scales have good reliability (α range, 0.67-0.87), and they distinguish between tumor sites and disease stage. The response format is a 4-point Likert scale. Responses to the questionnaires will be transformed into a scale of 0 to 100 using the EORTC guidelines, with a higher score indicating a deterioration of symptoms.