Brief Methodological ReportValidation of the Arabic Version of the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale Among Lebanese Cancer Patients

ContextTo our knowledge, there have been no previous attempts to translate the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) into the Arabic language and validate it among the Arab cancer population.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to validate the MSAS in Arabic (MSAS-Leb) among 190 Lebanese oncology outpatients.MethodsThe questionnaires were the MSAS-Leb and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). Data were collected between 2009 and 2010 at a major teaching hospital in Lebanon. The psychometric indices used were reliability, convergent validity, principle component analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).ResultsThe Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the MSAS and its subscales ranged from 0.71 to 0.83. On convergent validity testing, the psychological and global distress index subscales were moderately correlated (r > −0.50; P < 0.01) with the emotional functioning subscale of the EORTC QLQ-C30. Correlation coefficients between the MSAS items and selected subscales from the EORTC QLQ-C30 met the standards of convergent validity (r = −0.55 to 0.81; P < 0.01) except for the nausea/vomiting subscale. On principal component analysis (N = 95), four meaningful clusters were recovered. The clusters represented the psychological and physical components. CFA (N = 95) showed an acceptable model and a good fit (goodness-of-fit index = 0.59, adjusted goodness-of-fit index = 0.51, root mean square residual = 0.05, root mean square error of approximation = 0.2) with our data set.ConclusionThe MSAS-Leb has acceptable psychometric properties of reliability and validity. We recommend its use in clinical practice and outpatient settings among health care professionals to assess and follow-up on symptom burden among patients diagnosed with cancer.