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Psychometric validation of the German version of the EPIC-26 questionnaire for patients with localized and locally advanced prostate cancer

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Abstract

Purpose

For patients with prostate cancer, validated and reliable instruments are essential for measuring patient-reported outcomes. The aim of this study was to validate the German version of the widely established Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite with 26 items (EPIC-26).

Methods

A German translation of the original questionnaire was tested in 3094 patients with localized or locally advanced (any T, any N and M0) prostate cancer with treatment intent (including radical prostatectomy, brachytherapy, active surveillance, watchful waiting). They completed the EPIC-26 questionnaire before treatment. A total of 521 of them also completed a questionnaire 12 months afterward. Internal consistency, sensitivity to change, and construct validity were assessed.

Results

The internal consistency of all domains was sufficient (Cronbach’s alpha between 0.64 and 0.93). Item-to-scale correlation coefficients showed acceptable associations between items and their domain score (all > 0.30), with the lowest scores for “bloody stools” (r = 0.37) and “breast problems” (r = 0.32). Confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis confirmed the five-dimension structure of the EPIC-26 (comparative fit index 0.95).

Conclusions

Psychometric evaluation suggests that the German version of the EPIC-26 is a well-constructed instrument for measuring patient-reported health-related symptoms in patients with prostate cancer.

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Funding

This study was funded by the Movember Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. German Cancer Society, Kuno-Fischer-Strasse 8, Berlin, 14057, Germany

    Nora Tabea Sibert, Simone Wesselmann & Christoph Kowalski

  2. OnkoZert, Neu-Ulm, Germany

    Sebastian Dieng & Alisa Oesterle

  3. Federal Association of German Prostate Cancer Patient Support Groups, Bonn, Germany

    Günter Feick

  4. Help for Prostate Cancer Patients (Förderverein Hilfe bei Prostatakrebs e.V.–FHbP), Tornesch, Germany

    Günther Carl

  5. Helios Klinikum Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany

    Thomas Steiner

  6. Hegau-Bodensee-Klinikum Singen, Singen, Germany

    Jörg Minner

  7. Marien Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Herne, Germany

    Florian Roghmann

  8. Städtisches Klinikum Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany

    Björn Kaftan

  9. Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Germany

    Friedemann Zengerling

  10. Franziskus Hospital, Bielefeld, Germany

    Andreas Hinkel

  11. Martini-Klinik Prostate Cancer Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Burkhard Beyer

  12. Universitätsklinikum Köln, Cologne, Germany

    Axel Heidenreich

  13. University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany

    Nina Harke

  14. Diaconal Hospital of Schwäbisch Hall, Schwäbisch Hall, Germany

    Bernhard Brehmer

  15. Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel Johannesstift, Bielefeld, Germany

    Jesco Pfitzenmaier

  16. Johanniter Krankenhaus Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Germany

    Jan Fichtner

  17. Barmherzige Brüder Trier, Trier, Germany

    Andreas Neisius

  18. Städtisches Klinikum Braunschweig, Brunswick, Germany

    Peter Hammerer

Authors
  1. Nora Tabea Sibert
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  2. Sebastian Dieng
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  3. Alisa Oesterle
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  4. Günter Feick
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  5. Günther Carl
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  6. Thomas Steiner
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  7. Jörg Minner
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  8. Florian Roghmann
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  9. Björn Kaftan
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  10. Friedemann Zengerling
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  11. Andreas Hinkel
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  12. Burkhard Beyer
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  13. Axel Heidenreich
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  14. Nina Harke
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  15. Bernhard Brehmer
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  16. Jesco Pfitzenmaier
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  17. Jan Fichtner
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  18. Andreas Neisius
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  19. Peter Hammerer
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  20. Simone Wesselmann
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  21. Christoph Kowalski
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Contributions

NT Sibert: data analysis, data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; S Dieng: protocol/project development, data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; A Oesterle: data analysis, data collection and management; G Feick: protocol/project development, manuscript writing/editing; G Carl: protocol/project development, manuscript writing/editing; T Steiner: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; J Minner: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; F Roghmann: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; B Kaftan: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; F Zengerling: B Kaftan: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; A Hinkel: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; B Beyer: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; A Heidenreich: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; N Harke: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; B Brehmer: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; J Pfitzenmaier: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; J Fichtner: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; A Neisius: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; P Hammerer: data collection and management, manuscript writing/editing; S Wesselmann: protocol/project development, manuscript writing/editing; C Kowalski: protocol/project development, data analysis, manuscript writing/editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nora Tabea Sibert.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of interest

GC, GF, TS, JM, FR, FZ, AHi, BB, AHe, NH, BB, JP, JF, AN, and PH hereby declare that they have no potential conflicts of interest. NTS, CK, SD, AO, and SW are employees of the two institutions in charge of the certification system. BK receives consulting and lecturing honoraria from various companies that do not involve any conflicts with the research presented here. A comprehensive list is available on request.

Research involving human participants and/or animals

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the ethics committee of the Medical Association of Berlin (Eth-12/16) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Comparison of the four-, five- and six-factor solutions

See Tables 5, 6 and 7.

Table 5 Factor loadings > 0.30 of the four-factor solution (p < 0.001, χ2 = 2865.08, df = 206, RMSA = 0.04, TLI = 0.90)
Full size table
Table 6 Factor loadings > 0.30 for the five-factor solution (p < 0.001, χ2 = 1605.99, df = 185, RMSA 0.03, TLI = 0.94)
Full size table
Table 7 Factor loadings > 0. 30 for the six-factor solution (p < 0.001, χ2 = 1186.32, df = 165, RMSA 0.02, TLI = 0.95)
Full size table

Appendix 2: The EPIC-26—Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite Short Form [23]

figure a
figure b
figure c

Appendix 3: German translation of the EPIC-26 [12]

figure d
figure e
figure f

Appendix 4: Staging according to the German Guideline Prostate Cancer (version April 2018)

In this study we use the staging proposed by the German Guideline for Prostate Cancer [22]:

  • Localized prostate cancer: T1-2, N0 M0.

    • Localized prostate cancer with low risk: PSA ≤ 10 ng/ml and Gleason-Score 6 and cT1c or cT2a.

    • Localized prostate cancer with intermediate risk: PSA > 10 ng/ml–30 ng/ml or Gleason 7 or cT 2b.

    • Localized prostate cancer with high risk: PSA > 20 ng/ml or Gleason ≥ 8 or cT2c.

  • Locally advanced prostate cancer: T3-4 N0 M0.

  • Advanced prostate cancer: any T N1 and M0.

  • Metastasized prostate cancer: any T any N and M1.

Furthermore, localized prostate cancer with cT1a or cT1b is classified as localized prostate cancer with low risk.

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Sibert, N.T., Dieng, S., Oesterle, A. et al. Psychometric validation of the German version of the EPIC-26 questionnaire for patients with localized and locally advanced prostate cancer. World J Urol 39, 11–25 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-019-02949-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-019-02949-7

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