Abstract
BackgroundQuality of life (QOL) and its measurement in cancer patients is becoming increasingly important. Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment are often associated with psychological distress and reduced QoL. In Arabic-speaking countries, QoL of patients with cancer is inadequately studied.The aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Moroccan Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Breast Cancer-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-BR23).MethodsAfter translation and cross-cultural adaptation, the questionnaire was tested on breast cancer patients. The participants’ number for the test and the retest were 105 and 37 respectively. Internal consistency was tested using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α), the test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Construct validity was assessed by examining item-convergent and divergent validity.ResultsThe questionnaire was administered to 105 patients. The mean age of patients was 48 years (SD: 16), 62.9% were married. 68.6% of all participants lived in urban area.The average time to complete the QLQ- BR23 was 15 min. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, were all >0.7, with the exception of breast symptoms and arm symptoms. All items exceeded the 0.4 criterion for convergent validity except item 20 and 23 related to pain and skin problems in the affected breast respectively.ConclusionIn general, the findings of this study indicated that the Moroccan Arabic version of the EORTC QLQ-BR23 is a reliable and valid supplementary measure of the QOL in breast cancer patients and can be used in clinical trials and studies of outcome research in oncology.
Highlights
Quality of life (QOL) and its measurement in cancer patients is becoming increasingly important
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessments in oncology facilitate doctor –patient communication, they point to areas where patients may experience serious problems, they can be used as diagnostic tools for problem- oriented follow – up care, and the data are strong predictors of survival [7,8]
Missing data rate for items varied from 0.0% to 49.5%. 83% of items didn’t have missing responses
Summary
Quality of life (QOL) and its measurement in cancer patients is becoming increasingly important. In Arabic-speaking countries, QoL of patients with cancer is inadequately studied. The aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Moroccan Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Breast Cancer-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-BR23). In 2008, breast cancer caused 458 000 deaths worldwide [1,2]. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is considered an important endpoint in cancer clinical trials. There has been considerable researches on the quality of life (QOL) of women with breast cancer [4], the results may not be significantly affecting clinical decision – making because the clinical significance of findings is not specified [5,6]. HRQOL assessments in oncology facilitate doctor –patient communication, they point to areas where patients may experience serious problems, they can be used as diagnostic tools for problem- oriented follow – up care, and the data are strong predictors of survival [7,8]
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