Last update:
   10-Jun-2025
 

Arch Hellen Med, 42(4), July-August 2025, 494-505

ORIGINAL PAPER

Translation and validation of the questionnaire "Lymphedema Quality of Life Inventory" in Greek patients

M. Tampakaki,1,2 M. Zografakis-Sfakianakis,2 A. Patelarou,2 G. Dragoumanaki,3 E. Patelarou,2 A. Lalaiotis4
1Department of Physiotherapy, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Crete,
2Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Heraklion, Crete,
3Department of Occupational Therapy, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Crete,
4Surgical Department, "Venizelio" General Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

OBJECTIVE To translate, adapt, and validate the Greek version of the "Lymphedema Quality of Life Inventory" (LyQLI) in patients with lymphedema related to breast cancer.

METHOD LyQLI, which was developed in 2015, assesses the quality of life of patients with lymphedema. It consists of 45 closed-ended questions on a four-point Likert scale and except for the total score, it is also divided into three main domains: physical, psychosocial, and practical. Α license for this validation study was sought and granted from the creator of the LyQLI. The translation was performed according to international guidelines comprising the following five stages: forward translation, expert panel, backward translation, pre-testing, and cognitive interviewing. The final version was then published in Greek. The setting of the study was two university hospitals with a convenience sampling of 85 female patients with lymphedema associated with breast cancer. The psychometric properties of the scale were tested by calculating Cronbach's alpha reliability index, as well as by measuring the content validity. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.904, 0.931, and 0.925 for each of the three domains (physical, psychosocial, and practical, respectively) were obtained and in total 0.966, revealed a high internal consistency. A significant negative correlation between age and two of the three domains was found, such as psychosocial (r=-0.243, p=0.025), practical (r=-0.238, p=0.028), and the overall score, too (r=-0.240, p=0.027).

CONCLUSIONS The Greek version of LyQLI is a reliable tool for assessing the quality of life of patients with lymphedema related to breast cancer.

Key words: Breast cancer, Greek version, Lymphedema, Quality of life, Validation.

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