Grant Number:	1R01CA125671-01A1 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Lai, Jin-Shei
Organization:	Northshore University Healthsystem
Project Title:	Perceived Cognitive Function Item Bank for Children Who Undergo Cancer Treatment
Fiscal Year:	2007

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Lifelong decrements in neurocognitive function (NF) are among the most prominent concerns for childhood cancer survivors, which can result in psychosocial problems of survivors and extend to the entire family. Routine assessment is especially critical for survivors as NF deficits may first appear years after the treatment. Current NF assessment relies on neuropsychological test battery, which is lengthy, expensive, and produces practice effects if it is administered routinely. Given these obstacles, there is a need for a measurement system that can provide brief and precise assessments tailored to the individual, thereby making it possible to screen patients who need comprehensive neuropsychological testing in busy clinical settings. To address this need, we propose to develop a comprehensive perceived cognitive function item bank (PCF) for children 7-21 years of age, which facilitates the development of individualized computerized adaptive testing (CAT) and short-forms that can serve as the screening tool. This bank would augment an existing adult PCF bank thereby providing the basis for psychometrically sound assessment across the disease continuum and life span. We propose the development of a parent proxy version for children of all ages and a self-reported version for children ages 1.3-21. The development of the pedsPCF bank will be accomplished through the successful completion of the following three aims. Aim 1 is to generate a perceived cognitive function item pool for the pediatric population. We will develop this pool by reviewing items from the existing adultPCF bank, an item library that we have built within the scope of two federally funded projects, and current literature. Items will be rigorously reviewed by clinicians, children and parents for their content validity. New items will be added to reflect developmental differences as necessary to ensure the comprehensiveness of the pool. Aim 2 is to examine the psychometric properties of the pedsPCF item bank(s) via the completion of two sub-aims: a) evaluate the essential unidimensionality of the pedsPCF bank; and b) calibrate the item bank(s) using item response theory (IRT) models. Aim 3 is to examine the clinical usefulness of the pedsPCF item bank(s) in relation to external clinical criteria. This includes: a) using discriminant function analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve approaches to establish cut scores; b) using IRT to develop user-friendly short-forms in screening patients for comprehensive testing; and c) using both anchored and distribution based approaches to identify minimally important differences in PCF. With the completion of this project, we hope to reach our ultimate goal of developing a measurement system that 1) can monitor patient perceived cognitive function throughout developmental stages, 2) can serve as the foundation for CAT and short-forms, which can then serve as a clinically meaningful screening tool.




Parent-reported cognitive function is associated with leukoencephalopathy in children with brain tumors.
Authors: Lai J.S. , Bregman C. , Zelko F. , Nowinski C. , Cella D. , Beaumont J.J. , Goldman S. .
Source: Quality Of Life Research : An International Journal Of Quality Of Life Aspects Of Treatment, Care And Rehabilitation, 2017-04-26 00:00:00.0; , .
EPub date: 2017-04-26 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 28447250
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Evaluating Psychometric Properties of the Spanish-version of the Pediatric Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Perceived Cognitive Function (pedsFACIT-PCF).
Authors: Wong A.W. , Lai J.S. , Correia H. , Cella D. .
Source: Quality Of Life Research : An International Journal Of Quality Of Life Aspects Of Treatment, Care And Rehabilitation, 2015 Sep; 24(9), p. 2289-95.
PMID: 25749924
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Validation of the Neuro-QoL measurement system in children with epilepsy.
Authors: Lai J.S. , Nowinski C.J. , Zelko F. , Wortman K. , Burns J. , Nordli D.R. , Cella D. .
Source: Epilepsy & Behavior : E&b, 2015 May; 46, p. 209-14.
PMID: 25862469
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Self-reported cognitive concerns and abilities: two sides of one coin?
Authors: Lai J.S. , Wagner L.I. , Jacobsen P.B. , Cella D. .
Source: Psycho-oncology, 2014 Oct; 23(10), p. 1133-41.
PMID: 24700645
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Parent-reported cognition of children with cancer and its potential clinical usefulness.
Authors: Lai J.S. , Zelko F. , Krull K.R. , Cella D. , Nowinski C. , Manley P.E. , Goldman S. .
Source: Quality Of Life Research : An International Journal Of Quality Of Life Aspects Of Treatment, Care And Rehabilitation, 2014 May; 23(4), p. 1049-58.
PMID: 24197478
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Perceived positive impact of cancer among long-term survivors of childhood cancer: a report from the childhood cancer survivor study.
Authors: Zebrack B.J. , Stuber M.L. , Meeske K.A. , Phipps S. , Krull K.R. , Liu Q. , Yasui Y. , Parry C. , Hamilton R. , Robison L.L. , et al. .
Source: Psycho-oncology, 2012 Jun; 21(6), p. 630-9.
PMID: 21425388
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Development of a parent-report cognitive function item bank using item response theory and exploration of its clinical utility in computerized adaptive testing.
Authors: Lai J.S. , Butt Z. , Zelko F. , Cella D. , Krull K.R. , Kieran M.W. , Goldman S. .
Source: Journal Of Pediatric Psychology, 2011 Aug; 36(7), p. 766-79.
PMID: 21378106
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Parent-perceived child cognitive function: results from a sample drawn from the US general population.
Authors: Lai J.S. , Zelko F. , Butt Z. , Cella D. , Kieran M.W. , Krull K.R. , Magasi S. , Goldman S. .
Source: Child's Nervous System : Chns : Official Journal Of The International Society For Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2011 Feb; 27(2), p. 285-93.
PMID: 20652814
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Evaluating the dimensionality of perceived cognitive function.
Authors: Lai J.S. , Butt Z. , Wagner L. , Sweet J.J. , Beaumont J.L. , Vardy J. , Jacobsen P.B. , Shapiro P.J. , Jacobs S.R. , Cella D. .
Source: Journal Of Pain And Symptom Management, 2009 Jun; 37(6), p. 982-95.
PMID: 19500722
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