Validation of functional assessment of cancer therapy-head and neck (FACT-H&N) scale(Chinese version) for measuring quality of life in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

ObjectiveTo assess the validity of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-head and neck(FACTH&N)(Chinese version)in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.MethodsFour hundred and forty four patients completed FACT-H&N scale.The internal consistency for the total scale and its subscales were assessed with Cronbach's alpha.Test-retest reliability was determined with paired t-test and Person correlation.The data were analyzed with exploratory factor analysis to determine factor construct validity.Inter-subscale correlations were analyzed with Person correlation and compared with the Cronbach's alpha of each subscale.Scores of the patients before,under,and after treatment were compared with analysis of variance.ResultsThe scores of the physical well-being,functional well-being and the additional head and neck items during treatment period decreased compared with that of pre-treatment and post-treatment periods.The total score of the whole questionnaire didn't increase to the same level of the pre-treatment period.Cronbach'sα coefficient of the total scale was 0.899 and that of for the five domains ranged from 0.692 to 0.859.Test-retest showed good reproducibility.Five factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis in accord with the questionnaire.Correlation coefficients between one subscale and others were less than Cronbach'sα coefficient of that subscale.ConclusionThe total scale is valid for measuring quality of life in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma with good reliability,validity and responsiveness.