Validation Study of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE)

This study is being done to try out questions from a large set of questions called the Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE). The PRO-CTCAE is a set of questions which asks patients about their symptoms. This study will look at properties of these questions and will provide information about how these questions can be improved for research studies. PRO-CTCAE questions were developed under a contract from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to allow patients to self-report symptoms in future cancer clinical trials. Patients with cancer receiving treatment will complete a web-based questionnaire containing PRO-CTCAE questions and a paper booklet containing a commonly used questionnaire for assessing quality of life, functioning, and symptoms at two visits one to six weeks apart. Some patients will additionally complete web-based questionnaires containing PRO-CTCAE questions weekly for four to five weeks, while completing a daily questionnaire containing PRO-CTCAE questions using an automated telephone system. Lastly, a small number of patients will complete only a single visit in which a web-based, telephone-based, and paper-based questionnaire containing PRO-CTCAE items is completed in addition to a paper booklet containing a commonly used questionnaire for assessing quality of life, functioning, and symptoms. The primary hypothesis is that scores for PRO-CTCAE questions will differ between patients with high versus low general well-being as measured by your doctor using a scale called the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Score.