Purpose: Cancer of the breast is one of the most predominant types of cancer among women. Quality of life (QoL) is an important variable for cancer treatment and breast cancer. Most of the QoL instruments that have been developed and tested in western culture to measure QoL of women with breast cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a culturally specific tool to measure the QoL of Indian women with breast cancer.
Methods: A Delphi method was followed with 11 multi-professional healthcare professional working in the treatment and rehabilitation of breast cancer survivors to ensure content validity and consensus was defined as at least 80% agreement. The questionnaire (41 items) covered relevant topics on QoL in six domains; General Health, Physical Well-Being, Functional Well-Being, Emotional Well-Being, Family Well-Being and Social Well-Being.
Results: The expert panel's agreements served as the framework for the scale rating. The first round had a 100% participant response rate, with 36 of 41 items achieving 80% or more consensus and five items failing to meet this standard. In the second round, 37 items received ≥ 80% level of consensus with a further 4 gained agreements of ≤ 75%. Finally, the questionnaire was reduced to 34 assertions after an expert panel reviewed the statements for construction and content.
Conclusion: Creation of a QoL tool for breast cancer survivors suited to the culture is a significant advance in delivering tailored assistance and comprehension to individuals from a range of cultures. This tool fosters a more holistic and inclusive approach to treatment by embracing cultural nuances, improving the overall well-being and survivorship experience for breast cancer survivors.
Keywords: Breast cancer survivors; Cancer; Quality of life; Well-being; Women.
© 2026. The Author(s).