EORTC QLU-C10D value sets for Austria, Italy, and Poland.

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Psychometrics
• Oncology

Background:

• The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) is a widely used cancer-specific instrument.
• Developing country-specific utility values for cancer patients enhances the accuracy of health economic evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish general population value sets for the EORTC QLU-C10D in Austria, Italy, and Poland.
• To compare the index scores for various health states across these three countries.

Main Methods:

• A web-based discrete choice experiment (DCE) was employed, assessing 10 health attributes each with 4 levels.
• The study included 1000 general population respondents per country, recruited via online panels for representativeness.
• A standardized and pre-tested valuation methodology was applied.

Main Results:

• Physical functioning, pain, and role functioning were the most impactful attributes on utility across all countries.
• Nausea, fatigue, and bowel problems had the largest impact among cancer-specific dimensions.
• Utility values for the worst health state varied significantly: -0.111 (Austria), 0.025 (Italy), and 0.048 (Poland). Austrian utilities were consistently lower for impaired health states.

Conclusions:

• Cancer-specific utility values (QLU-C10D) can now be derived in Austria, Italy, and Poland.
• Significant country-specific differences in utility values necessitate careful consideration when applying non-country-specific value sets in economic evaluations.