The Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam versions of the EORTC QLQ-SH22 are culturally appropriate and reliable tools for assessing sexual health-related quality of life in cancer patients in South Indian populations.
The EORTC QLQ-SH22 was successfully translated into Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam following a multistep EORTC translation process.
Pilot testing was conducted with 43 cancer patients with pelvic malignancies across the three language groups.
Internal consistency ranged from acceptable to good across the three translated versions as measured by Cronbach's alpha.
The translated questionnaires were well accepted by participants with an average completion time of 15 minutes.
Sexual health is often under-assessed in routine cancer care, particularly in non-English-speaking populations.
This research describes the translation and initial testing of a standardized questionnaire called the EORTC QLQ-SH22, which measures sexual health-related quality of life in cancer patients, into three South Indian languages: Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam. The translation followed a rigorous, multi-step process designed by the questionnaire's developers, and was then tested with 43 cancer patients who had pelvic cancers. Participants found the questionnaires easy to understand and complete, taking about 15 minutes on average. The study found that the translated questionnaires performed reliably, with statistical measures of consistency (Cronbach's alpha) ranging from 0.64 to 0.82 across the three languages, values considered acceptable to good. Small adjustments were needed for the Tamil and Telugu versions based on patient feedback, while the Malayalam version needed no changes at all. These results suggest the tools are culturally appropriate for their intended populations. This research matters because sexual health is an important but frequently overlooked aspect of well-being for cancer survivors, and having validated assessment tools available in regional languages can help healthcare providers in South India better identify and address these concerns in routine clinical care and research. Previously, the lack of validated versions in these languages may have left a significant gap in quality-of-life assessment for millions of cancer patients in the region.
Yadala A, Madhubalan H, Rahman A, Ardha A, Miruthula R, Kumari M, et al.. (2025). Translation and Pilot Validation of the EORTC QLQ-SH22 Module in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam for Assessing Sexual Health-Related Quality of Life in Cancer Patients.. Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP. https://doi.org/10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.9.3453