Evaluating physical function in an adolescent bone tumor population

Abstract

Background Survival rates for patients with bone tumors have increased dramatically over the past few decades. Unfortunately, many patients face functional limitations resulting from disease management, but there is little evidence regarding physical functioning in adolescents with bone tumors. This lack is largely due to the absence of a standardized measure for evaluating adolescent sarcoma physical functioning. This review discusses considerations in searching for a measure of adolescent physical functioning, evaluates measures previously used in assessing functional outcome in young sarcoma patients, reviews self‐report measures of pediatric physical functioning, and makes recommendations for future research. Procedure Electronic databases were searched for studies published between 1980 and 2004. Studies examining physical functioning in adolescent sarcoma patients and those describing measures of pediatric physical functioning were included. Results The study includes measures previously used in the adolescent bone tumor literature (Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, Mankin, Groningen Activity Restriction Scale, Toronto Extremity Salvage Score [TESS]), and three measures of pediatric physical function (Functional Disability Inventory, Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument [PODCI], Activities Scale for Kids [ASK]). The TESS, PODCI, and ASK each met at least four of the outlined applicability and feasibility components. Conclusion The search for a measure of physical functioning for adolescent sarcoma patients requires an exploration of many developmental and measurement issues. Based on the sensibility review presented, the TESS, PODCI, and ASK are recommended for further evaluation of content and of the measurement properties of reliability, validity, and responsiveness, prior to their use in evaluating adolescent sarcoma patients.