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 . (
A prospective randomized study of megestrol acetate and ibuprofen in gastrointestinal cancer patients with weight loss
Summary The use of megestrol acetate in the treatment of weight loss in gastrointestinal cancer patients has been disappointing . The aim of the present study was to compare the combination of megestrol acetate and placebo with megestrol acetate and ibuprofen in the treatment of weight loss in such patients . At baseline , 4–6 weeks and 12 weeks , patients underwent measurements of anthropometry , concentrations of albumin and C-reactive protein and assessment of appetite , performance status and quality of life using EuroQol-EQ-5D and EORTC QLQ-C30 .  Thirty-eight and 35 patients ( median weight loss 18 % ) were r and omized to megestrol acetate/placebo or megestrol acetate/ibuprofen  , respectively , for 12 weeks . Forty-six ( 63 % ) of patients failed to complete the 12-week assessment . Of those evaluable at 12 weeks , there was a decrease in weight ( median 2.8 kg ) in the megestrol acetate/placebo group compared with an increase ( median 2.3 kg ) in the megestrol acetate/ibuprofen group ( P < 0.001 ) . There was also an improvement in the EuroQol-EQ-5D quality of life scores of the latter group ( P < 0.05 ) . The combination of megestrol acetate/ibuprofen appeared to reverse weight loss and appeared to improve quality of life in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer . Further trials of this novel regimen in weight-losing patients with hormone-insensitive cancers are warranted
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 . (