Introduction:Breast cancer has been the most common cancer type that affects women worldwide and subsequent treatment is often associated with considerable psychological and quality of life (QoL).Aim:This study aimed to assess psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) general QoL questionnaire (QLQ-C30) for breast cancer patients in Qatar.Materials and Methods:This is a cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted on 678 breast cancer patients using Arabic version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 tool.Results:The mean age of women was 47.7 ± 10.2 years and 33.4% of women had consanguineous parents. Six subscales out of the nine met the standards of reliability with coefficients ranging from 0.55 to 0.89. The mean score of all functioning scales was high >55. Advanced breast cancer stages of III–IV had higher symptomatic scores significantly than those in early stages for the physical function, cognitive, fatigue, insomnia, appetite loss, constipation, and financial difficulties. Correlation coefficients between each item ranged from –0.113 to 0.960, and item 21 (tense) and item 23 (irritable) had strongest negative correlations with their corresponding emotional functioning subscale, whereas items 29 (physical condition) and 30 (overall QoL) had the strongest positive correlation with Global Health/QoL subscale. Item 6 (limited work) showed a higher correlation with fatigue (r = 0.749). Likewise, item 19 (pain interfered with daily activities) of the pain subscale had higher correlations with physical functioning, role functioning, and fatigue subscales.Conclusion:Qatari Arabic version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 showed acceptable psychometric properties, which is a reliable and valid instrument, that can be used by oncologists.

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BackgroundAn insufficient number of studies have been carried out in the Middle East to evaluate the role of structured psychotherapeutic interventions in enhancing breast cancer patients’ psychological well-being, quality of life and treatment compliance. This study has been designed to address this limitation by exploring the benefit of two structured psychotherapeutic interventions, crisis counseling and psychoeducation, in enhancing breast cancer patients’ psychological well-being, quality of life and treatment compliance in Qatar.MethodsA total of 201 women with early-stage breast cancer from the state of Qatar were recruited and randomized into either the control group or one of the treatment groups (crisis counseling or psychoeducation). Each of the two treatment interventions consisted of a total of six 60- to 90-minute sessions, which were provided over a period of 12 weeks. The short- and long-term benefits of the crisis counseling and psychoeducation interventions were evaluated in terms of improving patients’ psychological well-being, quality of life and treatment compliance by asking all the patients to complete the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, 21 item version (DASS-21) and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life scale (QLQ-C30) instruments at different points in time and by monitoring their compliance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment.ResultsThis study revealed that both of the study interventions, crisis counseling and psychoeducation, were effective in improving women’s psychological well-being and quality of life over time in comparison to the control group, but had no significant impact on patients’ compliance with treatment. In addition, the study showed that psychoeducation conferred a greater advantage than did the crisis counseling model, especially in improving women’s psychological well-being over time.ConclusionThis study is considered the first of its kind in Qatar to provide evidence on the benefit of crisis counseling and psychoeducation interventions in improving the psychological well-being and quality of life of women with early-stage breast cancer in Qatar. In addition, this study has provided innovative research that can be used as evidence to propose changes to the psychotherapy services for breast cancer patients in Qatar. This research study aims to provide a first step toward further research in the future, which will hopefully lead to a better health care system for cancer patients in Qatar.