Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Assessing Quality of Life in Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Haematologica; ePub 2016 Mar 4; Abel, et al
The Quality of Life in Myelopysplasia Scale (QUALMS) is a valuable tool for assessing myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) -specific quality of life in the modern treatment era. This according to a study of 255 patients with MDS. Researchers found:
• QUALMS scores ranged from 24 to 99 (higher scores are better) with a mean of 67.2.
• The measure was internally consistent and moderately correlated with the multi-item QLQ-C30 scales and the FACT-An.
• Patients with hemoglobin ≤ 8 g/dL scored lower than those with hemoglobin > 10 g/dL.
• Transfusion-dependent patients scored lower than transfusion-independent patients.
• Principal components analysis showed physical burden, benefit-finding, and emotional burden subscales.
• There was good overall test-retest reliability among patients with stable hemoglobin, and significant changes for patients hospitalized or with infections between administrations.
Citation: Abel GA, Efficace F, Buckstein RJ, et al. Prospective international validation of the Quality of Life in Myelodysplasia Scale (QUALMS). [Published online ahead of print March 4, 2016] Haematologica. doi:10.3324/haematol.2015.140335.