Instrument template · OncologyUpdated September 28, 2026

EORTC QLQ-C30 as an ePRO participants actually finish

The QLQ-C30 is the most widely used quality of life questionnaire in cancer trials. Capture runs it on participants' own phones or clinic tablets, with coded answers ready for EORTC scoring and the licence recorded on the form.

  • 30 items, 15 scales
  • Phone or clinic tablet
  • Licence tracked on the form

Free sandbox · No credit card · 21 CFR Part 11 aligned

Quality of life · Cycle 3

During the past week:

Symptom item (4-point scale)

Not at all · A little · Quite a bit · Very much

1234

Global health item (7-point scale)

1 Very poor to 7 Excellent

1234567
Licensed wording shown in the live form

QLQ-C30 at a glance

  • Version 3.0 has 30 items: 5 functional scales, 3 symptom scales, a global health status/QoL scale and 6 single symptom items.
  • Items 1 to 28 use a 4-point scale (not at all to very much); items 29 and 30 use a 7-point scale for global health and quality of life. Most items refer to the past week.
  • Scale scores are linearly transformed to 0 to 100. Higher functional and global scores mean better function; higher symptom scores mean more symptoms. A summary score is also available.
  • Disease-specific modules (for example for breast or lung cancer) are added alongside the core questionnaire.
  • The questionnaire is copyrighted by the EORTC Quality of Life Group. Academic use is generally free after registration; commercially sponsored trials need a licence.

The instrument

Why the QLQ-C30 is the default in oncology

The QLQ-C30 was developed by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer as a core questionnaire applicable to people with any cancer, designed to be supplemented by modules for particular cancer types or treatments. That core-plus-module design, extensive translations and decades of reference data make it the standard patient-reported quality of life measure in cancer trials, and a frequent secondary endpoint in registrational studies.

Where PRO-CTCAE captures specific symptomatic toxicities item by item, the QLQ-C30 gives a structured picture of function and overall quality of life. Many oncology trials use both, and schedule them at the same visits.

How scoring works

For each scale, the raw score is the mean of its items. That raw score is then linearly transformed to a 0 to 100 range following the EORTC scoring manual. Because the transformation is fixed and documented, Capture stores item responses as coded values (1 to 4 or 1 to 7) with labels, and your statisticians apply the manual's formulas to the export. Missing-item rules (a scale is usually scored if at least half its items are answered) are also in the manual.

Modules

Disease modules add items that matter for a specific cancer or treatment. Build each module as its own form scheduled at the same visits as the core, so modules can be added or dropped per study without touching the core questionnaire.

QLQ-C30 · Scale scores (0 to 100)

Global health status / QoL

67 / 100

High
0-33 Low34-66 Mid67-100 High
Physical functioning80
Role functioning67
Fatigue (symptom)44
Pain (symptom)17
Scored from exported item codes

Structure

QLQ-C30 scales and number of items

ScaleTypeItems
Physical functioningFunctional5
Role functioningFunctional2
Emotional functioningFunctional4
Cognitive functioningFunctional2
Social functioningFunctional2
Global health status / QoLGlobal2
FatigueSymptom3
Nausea and vomitingSymptom2
PainSymptom2
Dyspnoea, insomnia, appetite loss, constipation, diarrhoea, financial difficultiesSingle items1 each (6 total)

Structure only. Register with the EORTC Quality of Life Group to obtain the questionnaire, translations and scoring manual.

Completion

Built for participants in the middle of treatment

People on chemotherapy are tired, and questionnaires compete with everything else on clinic day. Capture lets them complete the QLQ-C30 on their own phone the day before a cycle, or on a clinic tablet in the waiting room, in the same form either way.

  • Secure links by email or SMS that open in the phone browser, no app to install.
  • Touch-sized controls and readable type in portrait or landscape.
  • Completion windows and reminders timed around treatment cycles.
  • Completion and at-risk participants on the dashboard.
ePRO software for clinical trials
Clinic tablet · landscape5 of 12

How much pain do you feel right now?

No painWorst pain
BackNext

Licensing

EORTC licence recorded where the data is collected

Record the EORTC licence number, holder and expiry on the form. Until it is recorded the form carries a staff-only watermark; if it lapses, new data collection on the form is blocked.

PROMIS SF v1.0 · Fatigue 8a · Settings

Copyright & licence

Approval pending
Licence required

Licence number

Not recorded

Expiry date

Not recorded

Watermark shown to staff only. Participants never see it.

Preview a quality of life questionnaire on your phone

Build the form, schedule it by treatment cycle and send yourself the participant link.

Build your QLQ-C30 form free

Before go-live

QLQ-C30 setup checklist

Registered with EORTC

Obtain the questionnaire, official translations and scoring manual; record licence details on the form.

Electronic layout reviewed

Follow the EORTC's guidance for electronic versions and keep the wording and response options unchanged.

Modules chosen

Add disease-specific modules as separate forms at the same visits.

Timing relative to treatment

Schedule before treatment on cycle days so side effects of that day's dose do not bias answers.

Missing-data rules pre-specified

Scale scoring rules from the manual, plus how whole missed questionnaires are handled.

Languages confirmed

Use only official translations for each country.

FAQ

Questions about this template

Something not covered here? Ask us directly.

How many items does the QLQ-C30 have?

Thirty: five functional scales, three symptom scales, a two-item global health status/QoL scale and six single symptom items.

How is the QLQ-C30 scored?

Each scale's raw score is the mean of its items, linearly transformed to 0 to 100 using the EORTC scoring manual. Higher functional scores are better; higher symptom scores are worse.

Is the QLQ-C30 free?

Academic use is generally free after registration with the EORTC Quality of Life Group. Commercially sponsored studies need a licence.

Can participants complete it on their phone?

Yes. Capture runs it in the phone browser from a secure link, or on a clinic tablet. Follow EORTC guidance for electronic versions.

Does Capture calculate QLQ-C30 scale scores?

Items are stored as coded values with labels and exported with a data dictionary; scale scores are calculated in analysis using the EORTC manual.

Can I add disease modules?

Yes. Build each module as its own form and schedule it with the core questionnaire.

Collect quality of life data without the paper chase

Build the QLQ-C30 form, record your licence and test it on your phone. Free sandbox.

Build your QLQ-C30 form free