Symptom assessment in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in a randomized trial: A psychometric analysis of Patient Symptom Assessment in Lung Cancer (PSALC)

18101 Background: Lung symptoms may be very burdensome for patients (pts) with SCLC. PSALC is a symptom scale that was developed for use in pts with SCLC for assessment of 9 symptoms (shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, hemoptysis, appetite loss, sleep interference, hoarseness, fatigue, interference with daily activities) scored from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much), but has not been formally validated. The objective of this study is to evaluate the validity of the PSALC through a psychometric analysis of trial data. Methods: Data were analyzed from a randomized, open-label, multicenter trial with 141 pts with SCLC receiving either oral topotecan with best supportive care (BSC) or BSC alone. PSALC and EQ-5D were administered to pts at baseline and at 3-week intervals at subsequent visits. Endpoints for psychometric analysis included statistics for internal consistency, construct validity, reliability, and responsiveness to change in clinical status. Results: Factor analysis (n=131) indicated that there...