Calidad de vida en cáncer de mama: validación del cuestionario BR23 en Chile / Validation of BR23 questionnaire for the assessment of quality of life of breast cancer patients in Chile

ABSTRACT

Background: Quality of Life assessment in oncologic patients evaluates the impact ana sequels of the disease ana the adverse effects of available treatments. Aim: To validate in Chile the breast cáncer specific-questionnaire (BR23) developed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). Patients and Methods: After performing a linguistic validation of the BR23 according to EORTC instructions, its psychometric properties were tested in 103 patients with breast cancer whose ages ranged from 34 to 83 years. Infernal consistency ofthe scales was assessed using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The test-retest correlations of each scale (n = 83) were evaluated. The correlation ofBR23 scales with SF36 version 2 and C30 version 3.0 scales was also assessed. The sensitivity and specificity of the instrument were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC). Results: Alpha values showed acceptable levels of internal consistency, ranging between 0.702 and 0.917 in all scales of BR23. The statistical analysis revealed significant test-retest correlations in most scales ofBR23. The correlations between BR23 and similar domains of C30 and SF36 questionnaires were also significant. The BR23 questionnaire demonstrated satisfactory levels of sensitivity and specificity when compared with the SF-36 scale. Conclusions: The BR23 questionnaire adapted for use in Chile is linguistically appropriate and psychometrically valid.