Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) in Malaysian Breast Cancer Survivors.
INTRODUCTION
The survival rate of female breast cancer survivors has been reported to be higher than other types of cancer in Malaysia. Nonetheless, breast cancer survivors face new challenges from unwanted side effects of treatment or management such as fatigue, psychological disturbance, or arm swelling, which can lead to the decline of quality of life (QOL). This study aims to adapt the Malay version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) to evaluate the QOL and to test its reliability and validity in Malaysian breast cancer survivors.


METHODS
The Malay version of the FACT-B, with Disabilities of Arms, Shoulders and Hands (DASH), and Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety-Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS) were distributed to female breast cancer survivors which were recruited on a voluntary basis, from cancer support groups based in selected states in Malaysia. Reliability was assessed based on internal consistency (Cronbach's α), whereas concurrent validity was examined by comparing domains in FACT-B with DASH and PHQ-ADS. Finally, total scores of each domain were analysed between lymphedema and without lymphedema groups for known-group validity.


RESULTS
A total of 113 breast cancer survivors agreed to participate (response rate = 100%) in the study. Our results showed that the Cronbach's α value for Malay FACT-B is 0.88, and each domain ranged from 0.62 to 0.88. A strong correlation was found between the physical well-being domain of FACT-B with DASH. Meanwhile, the breast cancer scale (BCS) displayed significant correlation with the instrument, Patient Health Questionnaire- Anxiety Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS), indicating that multiple factors including psychological distress were measured in the BCS domain. Furthermore, the instrument was able to detect differences in physical, functional and QOL between participants from lymphedema and without lymphedema groups.


CONCLUSION
The Malay version of the FACT-B demonstrated reliable properties and is effective in assessing QOL and can be applied in Malaysian breast cancer survivors.
["Md Yusof|Khairunnisa'|K|", 'Mahmud|Rozi|R|0000-0002-9543-3452', 'Abdullah|Maha|M|0000-0003-2839-6273', 'Avery-Kiejda|Kelly A|KA|0000-0003-2285-9118', 'Rosli|Rozita|R|0000-0003-3071-6205']
D000328:Adult D001943:Breast Neoplasms D000073116:Cancer Survivors D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison D004185:Disability Evaluation D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008296:Malaysia D008875:Middle Aged D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales D011594:Psychometrics D011788:Quality of Life D015203:Reproducibility of Results D014177:Translations
FACT-B breast cancer QOL Malay version Validity