Summary
Introduction
The Skin Cancer Index (SCI) is the first specific patient‐reported outcome measure for patients with cervicofacial nonmelanoma skin cancer. To date, only the original English ...version has been published.
Objectives
To develop a Spanish version of the SCI that is semantically and linguistically equivalent to the original, and to evaluate its measurement properties in this different cultural environment.
Material and methods
A cross‐sectional study was conducted of the cultural adaptation and empirical validation of the questionnaire, analysing the psychometric properties of the new index at different stages.
Results
Of 440 patients recruited to the study, 431 (95%) completed the Spanish version of the SCI questionnaire, in a mean time of 6·3 min (SD 2·9). Factor analysis of the scale revealed commonality and loading values of < 0·5 for three of the 15 items. The remaining 12 items converged into two components: appearance/social aspects (seven items) and emotional aspects (five items). Both domains presented a high level of internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha values above 0·8. The convergent–discriminant validity analysis produced correlations higher than 0·3 for the mental component of the Short Form Health Survey‐12v2 Health Questionnaire (correlation coefficient 0·39) and the Dermatology Quality of Life Index (correlation coefficient −0·30). In the test–retest, nine of the 12 items produced a weighted kappa value exceeding 0·4, and for the remaining three items, the absolute agreement percentage exceeded 60%.
Conclusions
The Spanish version of the SCI quality of life scale has been satisfactorily adapted and validated for use in Spanish‐speaking countries and populations.
What's already known about this topic?
The first questionnaire specifically focused on the quality of life for patients with cervicofacial nonmelanoma skin cancer, the Skin Cancer Index (SCI), has been developed recently in the U.S.A.
This questionnaire represents a valuable tool not only in clinical practice but also in the field of epidemiological and clinical research.
At present only the original English version is available.
What does this study add?
We have obtained the first Spanish version of the SCI that is semantically and linguistically equivalent to the original and that guarantees validity and reliability.
This new version will enable use of the SCI in research on quality of life of patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer to other countries and to Spanish‐speaking population worldwide.
Background. Skin Cancer Index (SCI) is a specific questionnaire measuring health related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with cervicofacial non-melanoma skin cancer (CFNMSC). The original scale ...has recently been adapted and validated into Spanish. Objectives. Evaluate the responsiveness of the Spanish version of SCI. Methods. Patients with CFNMSC candidate for surgical treatment were administered the questionnaire at time of diagnostic (t0), 7 days after surgery (t1), and 5 months after surgery (t2). The scale and subscales scores (C1: social/appearance, C2: emotional) were then evaluated. Differences between t0-t1, t1-t2, and t0-t2 were determined and a gender-and-age segmented analysis was performed. Results. 88 patients, 54.8% male, mean age 62.5 years, completed the study. Differences between t0-t1 and t1-t2 scores were statistically significant (p<0.05). The lowest values were found at time of diagnosis and postsurgery. Women and patients under 65 years showed the lowest values at the three times. Limitations. Concrete geographic and cultural area. Clinical and histological variables are not analysed. Conclusions. Our results confirm responsiveness of the Spanish version of the SCI. Further development of the instrument in Spanish-speaking countries and populations will make it possible to extend worldwide research and knowledge horizons on skin cancer.
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