Reliability and usability of a weighted version of the Functional Comorbidity Index.

PURPOSE: To investigate the reliability of a weighted version of the Functional Comorbidity Index (w-FCI) compared with that of the original Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) and to test its usability. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixteen physicians collected data from 102 residents who lived in 16 different nursing homes in the Netherlands. A multicenter, prospective observational study was carried out in combination with a qualitative part using the three-step test interview, in which participants completed the w-FCI while thinking aloud and being observed, and were then interviewed afterward. To analyze inter-rater reliability, a subset of 41 residents participated. The qualitative part of the study was completed by eleven elderly care physicians and one advanced nurse practitioner. MEASUREMENTS: The w-FCI was composed of the original FCI supplemented with a severity rating per comorbidity, ranging from 0 (disease absent) to 3 (severe impact on daily function). The w-FCI was filled out at baseline by 16 physicians and again 2 months later to establish intra-rater reliability (intraclass correlations; ICCs). For inter-rater reliability, four pairs of raters completed the w-FCI independently from each other. RESULTS: The ICCs were 0.90 (FCI) and 0.94 (w-FCI) for intra-rater reliability, and 0.61 (FCI) and 0.55 (w-FCI) for inter-rater reliability. Regarding usability of the w-FCI, five meaningful themes emerged from the qualitative data: 1) sources of information; 2) deciding on the presence or absence of disease; 3) severity of comorbidities; 4) usefulness; and 5) content. CONCLUSION: The intra-rater reliability of the FCI and the w-FCI was excellent, whereas the inter-rater reliability was moderate for both indices. Based on the present results, a modified w-FCI is proposed that is acceptable and feasible for use in older patients and requires further investigation to study its (predictive) validity.

Volume or position changes of primary lung tumor during (chemo-)radiotherapy cannot be used as a surrogate for mediastinal lymph node changes: the case for optimal mediastinal lymph node imaging during radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: Primary lung tumors can be visualized mostly with cone beam computed tomography (CT), whereas visualization is much more difficult for mediastinal lymph nodes (LN). If the volumetric and positional changes of the primary tumor could be used as a surrogate for the LN, this would facilitate image-guided radiotherapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the positional and volumetric changes in primary tumors and the involved LN during (chemo)radiotherapy treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging was performed before radiotherapy and in the second week of treatment in 35 patients. Gross tumor volumes (GTV) of the primary tumor (GTVprim) and of the involved LN (GTVlymph) were delineated. Changes in position and volume of GTVprim with respect to GTVlymph and the bony anatomy were compared. RESULTS: In individual cases, large displacements up to 1.6 cm and volume changes of 50% of the primary tumor may occur that are not correlated to the changes in involved LN. The volume of GTVprim reduced, on average, by 5.7% ± 19.0% and was not correlated with the small increase of 1.4% ± 18.2% in involved LN volume. Compared to bony anatomy, displacement of the primary tumor was statistically correlated to the involved LN displacement. CONCLUSIONS: Volume and position changes of the primary tumor are not always predictive for LN changes. This suggests that for characterization of involved LN, repeated state-of-the-art mediastinal imaging during radiotherapy may be necessary.