ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Quality of life in cancer patients has become an important outcome measure. This study aimed to translate and validate the European Cancer Research and Treatment Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) in Azerbaijan. METHODS: Forward-backward procedure was applied to translate the EORTC QLQ-C30 from English into Azeri. Then a cross sectional study was conducted to validate the questionnaire in Azerbaijan. A sample of patients with confirmed diagnosis of oral cancer completed the Azeri version of the questionnaire from January 2017 to December 2018. Construct validity was assessed by performing know groups comparison and item-scale correlation matrix. Reliability was examined by estimating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency. RESULTS: In all 141 patients with oral cancer participated in the study. Known groups comparison indicated that the Azeri version of EORTC QLQ-C30 well differentiated between patients who differed in the disease stage. Those with higher stage reported lower functioning and higher symptoms. In addition item-scale correlation matrix showed a good correlation between items and its own hypothesized subscales as expected (Pearson correlation coefficient ranging from 0.735-0.978). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranged form 0.68 to 0.94 indicating acceptable results for the internal consistency of the questionnaire. CONCLUSION: This preliminary validation study proved that the Azeri version of EORTC QLQ-C30 is a valid measure of quality of life in cancer patients. However, studies with other cancer patients and stronger psychometric evaluations are recommended.
