Tool development and validation of the oral cancer patient and diagnostic interval measure

Authors

  • Phinse Mappalakayil Philip Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
  • Srinivasan Kannan Department of Community Oncology, Malabar Cancer Centre, Thalassery, Kerala, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20220245

Keywords:

Diagnostic interval, Oral cancer, Patient interval, Tool development

Abstract

Background: The poor survival rates observed in oral cancer can be improved if diagnosed early. A greater understanding of the patient and diagnostic interval in the diagnostic journey of oral cancer is vital for facilitating early diagnosis. The non-availability of a validated tool for measuring these intervals impedes early diagnosis research.  The present study aimed to develop a tool to measure the patient and diagnostic intervals for early oral cancer diagnosis researchers.

Methods: To include appropriate questions to get the exact days, the researcher has first searched for published articles on the subject. This was followed by consultations with health care providers. The list of variables finalized through these iteration processes was circulated among the experts for establishing content validity. The face validity of the conceptually equivalent local language version of the tool was also assessed. The tool was developed as an interview schedule.

Results: The final tool had 16 symptom response categories and 14 other questions. Items with a content validity index of 0.8 or above were only included. The validated tool was further used in a cross-sectional study on patient interval. The most common initial symptoms recognized by the participants were non-healing ulcer with pain (n=97), tooth mobility (n=26), and non-healing ulcer without pain (n=25).

Conclusions: A tool was developed and validated for collecting various time points for measuring various time points in the diagnostic journey of oral cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first tool for measuring patient intervals and diagnostic interval in oral cancer.

References

Ervik M, Lam F, Colombet M, Piñeros M, Znaor A, Soerjomataram I, et al. Global Cancer Observatory: Cancer Today. 2020. Available at: https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/1-Lip-oral-cavity-fact-sheet.pdf. Accessed on 10 January 2021.

Mathur P, Sathishkumar K, Chaturvedi M, Das P, Sudarshan KL, Santhappan S, et al. Cancer Statistics, 2020: Report From National Cancer Registry Programme, India. JCO Glob Oncol. 2020;(6):1063-75.

Seoane J, Alvarez-Novoa P, Gomez I, Takkouche B, Diz P, Warnakulasiruya S, et al. Early oral cancer diagnosis: The Aarhus statement perspective. A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Head Neck. 2016;38(S1):E2182-9.

Neal RD, Pasterfield D, Wilkinson C, Hood K, Makin M, Lawrence H. Determining patient and primary care delay in the diagnosis of cancer- lessons from a pilot study of patients referred for suspected cancer. BMC Fam Pract. 2008;9:9.

Neal RD, Nafees S, Pasterfield D, Hood K, Hendry M, Gollins S, et al. Patient-reported measurement of time to diagnosis in cancer: development of the Cancer Symptom Interval Measure (C-SIM) and randomised controlled trial of method of delivery. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014;14:3.

World Health Organization. (‎2017)‎. Guide to cancer early diagnosis. World Health Organization. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/ 10665/254500. Accessed on 17 January 2021.

Zamanzadeh V, Ghahramanian A, Rassouli M, Abbaszadeh A, Alavi-Majd H, Nikanfar AR. Design and implementation content validity study: development of an instrument for measuring patient-centered communication. J Caring Sci. 2015;4(2):165-78.

Rodrigues IB, Adachi JD, Beattie KA, MacDermid JC. Development and validation of a new tool to measure the facilitators, barriers and preferences to exercise in people with osteoporosis. BMC Musculoskel Disord. 2017;18(1):540.

Weller D, Vedsted P, Rubin G, Walter FM, Emery J, Scott S, et al. The Aarhus statement: improving design and reporting of studies on early cancer diagnosis. Br J Cancer. 2012;106(7):1262-7.

Philip PM, Kannan S. Patient Interval and associated factors in the diagnostic journey of oral cancer: a hospital-based cross-sectional study from Kerala, India. Asian Pac J Cancer Prevent. 2021;22(10):3143-9.

Redaniel MT, Laudico A, Mirasol-Lumague MR, Gondos A, Pulte D, Mapua C, et al. Cancer survival discrepancies in developed and developing countries: comparisons between the Philippines and the United States. Br J Cancer. 2009;100(5):858-62.

Walter F, Webster A, Scott S, Emery J. The Andersen Model of Total Patient Delay: a systematic review of its application in cancer diagnosis. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2012;17(2):110-8.

Andersen RS, Vedsted P, Olesen F, Bro F, Søndergaard J. Patient delay in cancer studies: a discussion of methods and measures. BMC Health Serv Res. 2009;9(1):189.

Coxon D, Campbell C, Walter FM, Scott SE, Neal RD, Vedsted P, et al. The Aarhus statement on cancer diagnostic research: turning recommendations into new survey instruments. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):677.

PDQ Supportive and Palliative Care Editorial Board. Adjustment to Cancer: Anxiety and Distress (PDQ®): Health Professional Version. In: PDQ Cancer Information Summaries. Bethesda (MD): National Cancer Institute (US); 2002.

Downloads

Published

2022-01-28

How to Cite

Philip, P. M., & Kannan, S. (2022). Tool development and validation of the oral cancer patient and diagnostic interval measure. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 9(2), 819–825. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20220245

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles