Validation of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) Scale for Measuring the Health-related Quality of Life in Korean Women with Breast Cancer

• Published in: Japanese journal of clinical oncology Vol. 34; no. 7; pp. 393 - 399
• Main Authors: Lee, Eun-Hyun, Chun, Mison, Kang, Seunghee, Lee, Hye-Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.07.2004; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Breast Neoplasms - ethnology; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Cultural Characteristics; Emotions; Female; Health Status; Humans; Key words: quality of life – instrument – breast cancer; Korea - ethnology; Middle Aged; Quality of Life; Severity of Illness Index; Social Support; Surveys and Questionnaires; Korea
• ISSN: 0368-2811; 1465-3621
• DOI: 10.1093/jjco/hyh070

Background: The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) scale, which was developed and validated in the USA, is widely used to measure the health-related quality of life in cancer patients. The purpose of the present study was to empirically validate the FACT-G scale with Korean breast cancer patients. Methods: A convenience sample of 193 women with breast cancer was recruited from a university hospital. The subjects were asked to complete the Korean version of the FACT-G scale. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation to determine factor construct validity. The loading criterion was set at 0.40 and above, inter-subscale correlations were computed using Pearson correlation, and the reliability of the internal consistency for the total scale and its subscales were assessed by Cronbach’s alpha. Results: The factor structure of the Korean version of the FACT-G scale paralleled that of the English version: the physical, social/family, emotional, and functional well-being subscales were constructively valid in Korean breast cancer patients. However, there is the possibility of culture-specific differences in the social/family well-being subscale, and some problematic translations were revealed. Cronbach’s alpha for the total scale was 0.89 and that for the subscales ranged from 0.78 to 0.90. Conclusion: The Korean version of the FACT-G scale was demonstrated as reliable and valid. Therefore, the scale can be used in research and clinical settings to assess the quality of life of Korean breast cancer patients.