Feasibility, criterion and construct convergent validity of the 2-minute walk test and the 10-meter walk test in an oncological context

Objective: To examine the feasibility, the criterion, and the construct convergent validity of the 2-Minute Walk Test (2MWT) and the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MeWT) against the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) to assess walking capacity in people with cancer. The criterion concurrent validity of a self-test version of the 10MeWT (10MeWT(self-test)) was also evaluated against the 10MeWT.Methods: Fifty-six people with cancer performed the 2MWT, the 10MeWT at comfortable and fast speeds, the 6MWT, and the 10MeWT(self-test). The feasibility of the tests was assessed using safety, adverse events, space requirements, time taken to administer and interpret the tool, equipment or training required, cost, and portability as criteria. Validity was assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients and Bland Altman plots.Results: The 2MWT, 6MWT, 10MeWT, and 10MeWT(self-test) were feasible for people with cancer. The 2MWT and the 10MeWT results were moderately to strongly correlated with the 6MWT results (0.61 < r < 0.84, p < 0.001). The 10MeWT(self-test) results were strongly correlated with the 10MeWT results at comfortable and fast speeds (r = 0.99, p < 0.001).Conclusions: The 2MWT, 10MeWT, and 10MeWT(self-test) are simple, rapid, and feasible tests for use in people with cancer. The strong correlation between the 2MWT and 6MWT results indicates that the 2MWT can be used as an alternative walking capacity assessment tool. The 10MeWT results moderately correlated with those of the other two tests, suggesting that it partially measures the same construct of walking capacity in walking-independent outpatients with cancer. The 10MeWT(self-test) showed promising results but needs further investigations in ecological settings.