Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the FACT-L for measuring quality of life in patients with lung cancer

SummaryA Simplified Chinese version of the FACT-L was evaluated using responses from 181 patients with lung cancer in China by assessing the construct, discriminative and criterion-related validity, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and responsiveness as measured by score changes of the scales. Correlation and factor analysis among domains and items showed good construct validity, correlation analysis of domain scores between FACT-L and Quality of Life Instruments for Cancer Patients-Lung cancer (QLICP-LU) displayed good criterion-related validity, and comparison of two age groups demonstrated discriminative validity. Test–retest reliability and Internal consistency coefficients for all domains were greater than 0.75 with the exception of the domain of additional concerns (α = 0.56). Score changes over time were statistically significant in the overall scale and all domains: standardized response mean (SRM) for physical well-being is 1.56, social/ family well-being 0.70, emotional well-being 0.93, and functioning well-being 1.51. Therefore, the Simplified Chinese version of FACT-L can be used to measure quality of life (QOL) for Chinese patients with lung cancer with good validity, reliability, and responsiveness.