Peer-reviewedCC BYEndocrine
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.
22 affiliations
- 1Comprehensive Cancer Center Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, University Medical Center Rostock, Rostock, Germany. [email protected].
- 2Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- 3Rehabilitation Medicine Unit, Strategic Health Services Department, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy.
- 4Department of Nuclear Medicine, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece.
- 5Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Therapeutics, Medical Oncology Unit, University of Pavia, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy.
- 6ENT and Head and Neck Department, University Medical Centre Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
- 7Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy / Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Gothenburg / Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
- 8Head and Neck Surgery Department, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de MedicinaInstituto Português de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, EPE, Porto, Portugal.
- 9Division of Radiotherapy, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) IRCCS, (PN), Aviano, Italy.
- 10Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Cancer Center, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, Japan.
- 11Barretos 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.
- 12Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- 13Comprehensive Cancer Center Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, University Medical Center Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
- 14Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
- 15Oncology Department, State Health Services Organization, Nicosia General Hospital, Nicosia, Cyprus.
- 16Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
- 17Surgery Department, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium.
- 18Department of Medical Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Departments of Public Health & Surgical Oncology, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Netherlands, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- 19Department 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.
- 20Department of Oncological Endocrinology and Nuclear Medicine, Maria Skłdowska-Curie Memorial National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland, Warsaw, Poland.
- 21Asklepios Tumorzentrum Hamburg, Asklepios Klinik St. Georg, Hamburg, Germany, Hamburg, Germany.
- 22Department of Nuclear Medicine, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan.
Abstract
Purpose
The 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
Thyroid 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
Altogether, 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
No 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.
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BibTeX
@article{singer2026score,
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.}},
author = {Susanne Singer and Gerasimos P Sykiotis and Monica Pinto and Ioannis Iakovou and Laura Deborah Locati and Arild Andre Østhus and Eva Hammerlid and Rita Canotilho and Giuseppe Fanetti and Naomi Kiyota and Ricardo Ribeiro Gama and Matthias Büttner and Katherine J Taylor and Juan Ignacio Arraras and Georgios Ioannidis and Orlando Guntinas-Lichius and Guy Andry and Olga Husson and Dagmar Führer and Marek Dedecjus and Silke Tribius and Akram Al-Ibraheem and EORTC Quality of Life Group, the EORTC Head and Neck Cancer Group, and the EORTC Thyroid Cancer Group},
journal = {Endocrine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s12020-026-04835-w},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955210},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - 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.
AU - Susanne Singer
AU - Gerasimos P Sykiotis
AU - Monica Pinto
AU - Ioannis Iakovou
AU - Laura Deborah Locati
AU - Arild Andre Østhus
AU - Eva Hammerlid
AU - Rita Canotilho
AU - Giuseppe Fanetti
AU - Naomi Kiyota
AU - Ricardo Ribeiro Gama
AU - Matthias Büttner
AU - Katherine J Taylor
AU - Juan Ignacio Arraras
AU - Georgios Ioannidis
AU - Orlando Guntinas-Lichius
AU - Guy Andry
AU - Olga Husson
AU - Dagmar Führer
AU - Marek Dedecjus
AU - Silke Tribius
AU - Akram Al-Ibraheem
AU - EORTC Quality of Life Group, the EORTC Head and Neck Cancer Group, and the EORTC Thyroid Cancer Group
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Endocrine
DO - 10.1007/s12020-026-04835-w
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955210
AB - Purpose The 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 Thyroid 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 Altogether, 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 No 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.
SN - 1355-008X
SN - 1559-0100
ER -