Abstract
BACKGROUND: The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer - Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ) developed to assess quality of life among colorectal cancer patients has not been translated into a local language or validated in the Ethiopian context. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the EORTC-QLQ-CR29 tool in Ethiopia among colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a major referral hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from March to May, 2020. A total of 158 colorectal cancer patients were included. The validity of the tool was assessed using Multitrait Scale Analysis, Mann-Whitney test and Pearson correlation coefficient. The internal consistency was examined using Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: Among the participants, 52.2% were men, with a median age of 46 years (IQR = 17.7 years). The item-total correlation alpha values ranged from 0.47 to 0.91. Multitrait Scale Analysis demonstrated convergent and divergent validity of the tool, except for the Blood and Mucus in Stool scale. All item correlations within their scales were greater than 0.4, except for the Blood and Mucus in Stool scale. The values of correlation coefficients between all items and their own domain were higher than other domains, except for the Blood and Mucus in Stool scale. The correlation between the core questionnaire and the colorectal tool ranged from -0.45 to 0.58. The tool showed a significant difference between stoma and non-stoma patients and between patients who had good physical function and those who did not. CONCLUSION: The Amharic version of the EORTC-QLQ-CR29 tool can be used to assess the health-related quality of life in Ethiopian colorectal cancer patients.