A formula has been developed to assign utility values to quality of life profiles described by the English and Chinese versions of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G), which is a commonly used questionnaire in cancer care and research.

While there are many useful questionnaires to describe a cancer patient's quality of life, most of them do not quantify the health utility value of that quality of life situation, a requirement for cost-utility analysis.

A recent study of English and Chinese speaking cancer patients in Singapore, a multi-ethnic modern society in Asia, used two types of well-established questionnaires to assess the quality of life and health utility of the participants. Statistical methods are then used to develop a formula for assigning a health utility value based on the FACT-G description.

The study report will be appearing in Value in Health, the official journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research.

Lead author Dr. Yin Bun Cheung says "Our study offers an equation for calculating a health utility index at the group level based on the English or Chinese versions of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General. This can facilitate cost-utility and other pharmacoeconomic studies without imposing additional assessment burden on patients."

Value in Health (ISSN 1098-3015) publishes papers, concepts, and ideas that advance the field of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research and help health care leaders to make decisions that are solidly evidence-based. The journal is published bi-monthly and has a regular readership of over 3,000 clinicians, decision-makers, and researchers worldwide.

ISPOR is a nonprofit, international organization that strives to translate pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research into practice to ensure that society allocates scarce health care resources wisely, fairly, and efficiently.

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