Measuring the Quality of Life among Head-and/or-Neck Cancer Patients with Oral Mucositis Using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General in Jordan

Abstract

Objective: Quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients can be influenced by the presence of medical conditions, such as oral mucositis (OM). There is still limited knowledge about this issue among patients in Jordan, and this could be related to the absence of research instruments testing QOL among cancer patients with OM. This study measured the QOL among cancer patients using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G), Arabic version. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on 118 head-and/or-neck cancer patients with OM in Jordan. Data were submitted to measures of normality, reliability, and validity using exploratory factor analysis. The study also measured QOL among the study sample. Results: FACT-G demonstrated good internal consistency reliability and validity. Factor analysis indicated the presence of four factors explained by 24 items representing a valid FACT-G, Arabic version. Scores reflected low QOL compared to reported normative values in the literature. The values used to compare findings from this study were extracted from international literature; no similar values were present in published literature. Conclusions: FACT-G, Arabic version, is valid and reliable when applied to this study population. Further testing is recommended, which would include the establishment of normative values.