{ "abstract": "Purpose\n\nThe European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Thyroid Cancer Quality of Life (QoL) Module (EORTC QLQ-THY34) is a valid tool to assess QoL in this patient population. The present study established estimates for score interpretation thresholds for this instrument when using it with thyroid cancer patients.Methods\n\nThyroid cancer patients under active treatment were contacted three times (t1: before treatment, t2: six weeks after t1, t3: six months after t2). They completed the EORTC QLQ-C30, the EORTC QLQ-THY34, and the Subjective Significance Questionnaire, indicating experienced change from the previous time point in five QoL domains. The Minimal Important Change (MIC) was established based on logistic regression models. Additionally, Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) was computed using 0.5 standard deviation and standard error of the measurement.Results\n\nAltogether, 275 patients from 15 countries participated. MIC for deterioration and improvement were respectively 5 and 1 for exhaustion, 13 and 7 for voice problems, 11 and 2 for tingling sensation, 12 and 11 for altered temperature tolerance, and 2 and 2 for overall QoL. The MDC estimates for deterioration ranged from 7 (physical functioning) to 25 (dyspnoea); for improvement, it ranged from 7 (physical functioning) to 15, for appetite loss, cramps, and altered temperature tolerance.Conclusions\n\nNo single MIC or MDC can be applied to all EORTC QLQ-THY34 scales, and the MIC for improvement are generally smaller than those for deterioration. The estimates can be used in research and clinical practice to interpret QoL scores in thyroid cancer patients.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Comprehensive Cancer Center Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, University Medical Center Rostock, Rostock, Germany. susanne.singer@uni-rostock.de.", "Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.", "Rehabilitation Medicine Unit, Strategic Health Services Department, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy.", "Department of Nuclear Medicine, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece.", "Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Therapeutics, Medical Oncology Unit, University of Pavia, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy.", "ENT and Head and Neck Department, University Medical Centre Oslo, Oslo, Norway.", "Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy / Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Gothenburg / Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.", "Head and Neck Surgery Department, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de MedicinaInstituto Português de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, EPE, Porto, Portugal.", "Division of Radiotherapy, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) IRCCS, (PN), Aviano, Italy.", "Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Cancer Center, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, Japan.", "Barretos Cancer Hospital, Brazil; Head and Neck Surgery Department, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (ICESP -HCFMUSP), Barretos, Brazil.", "Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.", "Comprehensive Cancer Center Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, University Medical Center Rostock, Rostock, Germany.", "Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.", "Oncology Department, State Health Services Organization, Nicosia General Hospital, Nicosia, Cyprus.", "Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.", "Surgery Department, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium.", "Department of Medical Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Departments of Public Health & Surgical Oncology, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Netherlands, Amsterdam, Netherlands.", "Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Centre for Endocrine Medicine (CEM), Member of ENDO-ERN and EURACAN, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany, Essen, Germany.", "Department of Oncological Endocrinology and Nuclear Medicine, Maria Skłdowska-Curie Memorial National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland, Warsaw, Poland.", "Asklepios Tumorzentrum Hamburg, Asklepios Klinik St. Georg, Hamburg, Germany, Hamburg, Germany.", "Department of Nuclear Medicine, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan." ], "article_type": "research article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 23, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Susanne Singer", "orcid": "0000-0001-5784-7964" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Gerasimos P Sykiotis", "orcid": "0000-0002-9565-4941" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Monica Pinto", "orcid": "0000-0002-0823-4907" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Ioannis Iakovou", "orcid": "0000-0003-2101-3954" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Laura Deborah Locati", "orcid": "0000-0003-3315-2580" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Arild Andre Østhus", "orcid": "0000-0002-0583-4106" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Eva Hammerlid", "orcid": "0000-0002-1813-108X" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Rita Canotilho", "orcid": "0000-0003-3914-0679" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Giuseppe Fanetti", "orcid": "0000-0002-9677-3176" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "Naomi Kiyota", "orcid": "0000-0001-8021-6116" }, { "affs": [ 10 ], "name": "Ricardo Ribeiro Gama", "orcid": "0000-0003-4406-8958" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Matthias Büttner", "orcid": "0000-0002-7000-8257" }, { "affs": [ 12 ], "name": "Katherine J Taylor", "orcid": "0000-0003-0768-5789" }, { "affs": [ 13 ], "name": "Juan Ignacio Arraras", "orcid": "0000-0002-4415-2570" }, { "affs": [ 14 ], "name": "Georgios Ioannidis", "orcid": "0000-0003-2535-7279" }, { "affs": [ 15 ], "name": "Orlando Guntinas-Lichius", "orcid": "0000-0001-9671-0784" }, { "affs": [ 16 ], "name": "Guy Andry", "orcid": "0000-0001-7410-6519" }, { "affs": [ 17 ], "name": "Olga Husson", "orcid": "0000-0002-1387-8686" }, { "affs": [ 18 ], "name": "Dagmar Führer", "orcid": "0000-0003-0357-4192" }, { "affs": [ 19 ], "name": "Marek Dedecjus", "orcid": "0000-0003-3485-8219" }, { "affs": [ 20 ], "name": "Silke Tribius", "orcid": "0000-0001-7754-0257" }, { "affs": [ 21 ], "name": "Akram Al-Ibraheem", "orcid": "0000-0002-0978-4716" }, { "name": "EORTC Quality of Life Group, the EORTC Head and Neck Cancer Group, and the EORTC Thyroid Cancer Group" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/396pe69a8hh5n.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1007/s12020-026-04835-w", "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13719787", "id": "396pe69a8hh5n", "issns": [ "1355-008X", "1559-0100" ], "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955210", "language": "eng", "licence": "CC-BY", "licence_label": "CC BY", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Original Article" ], [ "openalex", "2730|Cancer survivorship and care" ] ], "openalex": "W7224321142", "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13719787?pdf=render", "pmcid": "PMC13719787", "pmid": "42955210", "published": "2026-10-29", "publisher": null, "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/396pe69a8hh5n.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-11-01T00:20:36Z", "native_id": "MED:42955210", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955210" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:23:41Z", "native_id": "PMC13719787", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-026-04835-w" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "openalex:2730|Cancer survivorship and care", "subfield": "oncology" } ], "title": "Score interpretation thresholds for the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer thyroid cancer quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-THY34). An international prospective study.", "title_text": "Score interpretation thresholds for the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer thyroid cancer quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-THY34). An international prospective study.", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:20:47Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/396pe69a8hh5n", "venue": "Endocrine", "versions": [] }