RESULTS ( 1 ) EQ-5D was valid and responsive for skin conditions and most cancers ; in vision , its performance varied according to aetiology ; and performance was poor for hearing impairments .
The HUI3 performed well for hearing and vision disorders .
It also performed well in cancers although evidence was limited and there was no evidence in skin conditions .
Response mapping using all the domain scores was the best performing model for the EORTC QLQ-C30 .
In an exploratory analysis , a limited dependent variable mixture model performed better than an equivalent linear model .
3 ) The exploratory valuation study found that bolt-on items for vision , hearing and tiredness had a significant impact on values of the health states , but the direction and magnitude of differences depended on the severity of the health state .
The vision bolt-on item had a statistically significant impact on EQ-5D health state values and a full valuation model was estimated .
EQ-5D performs well in studies of cancer and skin conditions .
Mapping techniques provide a solution to predict EQ-5D values where EQ-5D has not been administered .
For conditions where EQ-5D was found to be inappropriate , including some vision disorders and for hearing , bolt-ons provide a promising solution .
BACKGROUND The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends the use of generic preference-based measures ( GPBMs ) of health for its Health Technology Assessment s ( HTAs ) .
However , these data may not be available or appropriate for all health conditions .
OBJECTIVES To determine whether GPBMs are appropriate for some key conditions and to explore alternative methods of utility estimation when data from GPBMs are unavailable or inappropriate .
( 2 ) Potential modelling approaches to ' map ' EQ-5D values from condition-specific and clinical measures of health [ European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality -of-life Question naire Core 30 ( EORTC QLQ-C30 ) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General Scale ( FACT-G ) ] are compared for predictive ability and goodness of fit using two separate data sets . (
Effectiveness of mirtazapine for nausea and insomnia in cancer patients with depression.
AIMS The purpose of the present paper was to evaluate the effectiveness of mirtazapine orally disintegrating tablets for nausea and sleep disturbance , which are common and distressing symptoms of cancer . METHODS This was a 4-week , prospect i ve , open-labeled study of cancer patients . Assessment s were performed at baseline and on days 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 14 , and 28 . Primary outcome measures were the Clinical Global Impression scale for nausea/vomiting and the Chonnam National University Hospital-Leeds Sleep Evaluation Question naire ( C-LSEQ ) including total amount of night sleep time . The secondary outcome measures consisted of pain items in the 36-item Short Form Health Survey , the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale ( MADRS ) , and the EuroQoL (EQ)-5D .  Forty-two cancer patients were enrolled . RESULTS Those with nausea ( n = 28 ) improved significantly from day 1 . The total night sleep time and each item on the C-LSEQ improved from days 1 - 5 . The scores on the MADRS and the depression/anxiety dimension and visual analog scale of EQ-5D improved significantly from the first week . Pain measures also improved from day 1 . Exacerbation of sleepiness developed in approximately one-third of subjects during the initial few days , but disappeared gradually . CONCLUSION In the present study mirtazapine rapidly improved nausea , sleep disturbance , pain and quality of life , as well as depression in cancer patients .  Mirtazapine may be an effective treatment option in managing cancer patients with multiple distressing symptoms , including nausea and sleep disturbance
RESULTS ( 1 ) EQ-5D was valid and responsive for skin conditions and most cancers ; in vision , its performance varied according to aetiology ; and performance was poor for hearing impairments .
The HUI3 performed well for hearing and vision disorders .
It also performed well in cancers although evidence was limited and there was no evidence in skin conditions .
Response mapping using all the domain scores was the best performing model for the EORTC QLQ-C30 .
In an exploratory analysis , a limited dependent variable mixture model performed better than an equivalent linear model .
3 ) The exploratory valuation study found that bolt-on items for vision , hearing and tiredness had a significant impact on values of the health states , but the direction and magnitude of differences depended on the severity of the health state .
The vision bolt-on item had a statistically significant impact on EQ-5D health state values and a full valuation model was estimated .
EQ-5D performs well in studies of cancer and skin conditions .
Mapping techniques provide a solution to predict EQ-5D values where EQ-5D has not been administered .
For conditions where EQ-5D was found to be inappropriate , including some vision disorders and for hearing , bolt-ons provide a promising solution .
BACKGROUND The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends the use of generic preference-based measures ( GPBMs ) of health for its Health Technology Assessment s ( HTAs ) .
However , these data may not be available or appropriate for all health conditions .
OBJECTIVES To determine whether GPBMs are appropriate for some key conditions and to explore alternative methods of utility estimation when data from GPBMs are unavailable or inappropriate .
( 2 ) Potential modelling approaches to ' map ' EQ-5D values from condition-specific and clinical measures of health [ European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality -of-life Question naire Core 30 ( EORTC QLQ-C30 ) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General Scale ( FACT-G ) ] are compared for predictive ability and goodness of fit using two separate data sets . (