Objective To translate and validate the Openness to Discuss Cancer in Family scale (ODCF), so as to provide a reliable instrument for measuring openness in family communication among cancer patients with minor children. Methods After obtaining authorization from the original authors, the revised Brislin translation model was employed to translate, back-translate, and conduct focus group discussions to develop a draft translation. Then Delphi method, cognitive interviews, and pretesting were conducted to develop a preliminary Chinese version of the ODCF, which was used to investigate 400 cancer patients who were recruited through convenience sampling. Results The Chinese version of ODCF consisted of 8 items. Exploratory factor analysis extracted one common factor, accounting for 51.257% of the cumulative variance. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded the following good model fit indices:χ2/df=1.878，RMSEA=0.066，SRMR=0.046，CFI=0.942，TLI=0.914. Content validity indices at both item and scale levels were 1.000. Cronbach′s α was 0.847; split-half reliability was 0.771; and test-retest reliability was 0.708. Conclusion The Chinese version of the ODCF demonstrates good reliability and validity, making it suitable for assessing the openness in family communication about cancer among patients in a Chinese cultural context.