Development of the Japanese version of functional assessment of cancer therapy-biological response modifier (FACT-BRM)

To assess the quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients who received biological therapy, the Japanese Version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Biological Response Modifier (FACT-BRM) was developed through an iterative forward-backward translation sequence used throughout the FACIT Translation Project Procedures and Guidelines. The pilot testing of the Japanese version of FACT-BRM was done for 15 patients (9 men; 6 women) with the patients who received biological therapy in Japan. Their age ranged from 36 to 81. Eight patients had a performance status (PS) of 0, 6 had a PS of 1, and 1 had a PS of 3. Questionnaire items were found easy to understand, and none were irrelevant or offensive. After the analysis of the results of the pilot study, the Japanese version of the FACT-BRM was finalized. Reliability and validity of the FACT-BRM remain to be evaluated, and the Japanese version of FACT-BRM can be an effective tool to measure QOL in cancer patients receiving biological therapy.