최경원1, 배훈식2, 임연옥3, 남일성3, 윤현숙1, 김여진1, 이현주4

1한림대학교 일반대학원 사회복지학과, 2한림대학교 의과대학 한림대학교성심병원 방사선종양학과, 3한림대학교 고령사회연구소, 4한림성심대학교 사회복지과

Background: The study examined the correlations among the results of the European Organization for Research
and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)-Quality of Life Questionnaire, Core 30 (QLQ-C30) completed by elderly
cancer patients and their family caregivers and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)-performance
status (PS) evaluated by medical doctors.
Methods: The study sample included 269 persons with cancer aged 55 years or older and their family caregivers
recruited from hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The results of the ECOG-PS evaluated by
medical doctors were obtained from medical records. Intra-class correlation analysis was used to assess rater
reliability between the elderly cancer patients and their family caregivers. Correlations among the EORTC
QLQ-C30 and the ECOG-PS were tested using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearmen’s correlation.
Results: The results showed that four subscales of quality of life (physical functioning, emotional functioning,
social functioning, and global health status) and three items under symptoms (fatigue, pain, and financial difficulties)
in the EORTC QLQ-C30 were highly consistent between patients and their family caregivers. From the
EORTC QLQ-C30 results, social functioning, role functioning, health status, fatigue, pain, and appetite loss
(patients results) and physical functioning (family caregivers results) were highly consistent with the results of
the ECOG-PS by the physicians.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that when the older persons with cancer have difficulty expressing their own
thoughts or feelings, the EORTC QLQ-C30 completed by their family caregivers and the results of the
ECOG-PS completed by the physicians could be used as substitutes.
Korean J Health Promot 2015;15(3):150-159
Keywords: EORTC QLQ-C30, ECOG-PS, Elderly cancer patients, Family caregivers