title: Quality of life in patients with gastric cancer: translation and psychometric evaluation of the Iranian version of EORTC QLQ-STO22.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Disease and treatment related events, can adversely affect the quality of life of patients with cancer. The purpose of this study was to translate and validate a gastric cancer specific health related quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-STO22) for Iranian patients suffering from gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forward-backward procedure was applied to translate the English language version of the EORTC QLQ-STO22 into Persian (Iranian language). Then, the questionnaire and the EORTC core quality of life instrument (QLQ-C30) were administered to a sample of patients with confirmed diagnosis of gastric cancer. All patients filled in questionnaires before and after one month of treatment. Patients were divided into two groups based on intension of treatment (curative vs. palliative). Reliability and validity of the module was tested by internal consistency and known group comparisons, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 105 patients were entered into the study. Cronbach's alpha for multi-item scales (to test reliability) ranged from 0.54 to 0.87. The questionnaire discriminated well between clinically distinct subgroups of patients both before and after treatment lending support to its convergent and clinical validity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, the Iranian version of the EORTC QLQ-STO22 demonstrated a good reliability and clinical validity to support its use in combination with core questionnaire in outcome studies of gastric cancer in Iran. However, using the QLQ-STO22 in a wide range of Iranian patients with gastric cancer should allow further confirmation for its psychometric properties.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Center, Cancer Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ssadighi@doctor.com
authors.forename: Sanamber
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sadighi
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montazeri
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sedighi
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mohagheghi
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Froutan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating