Greek M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory: Validation and Utility in Cancer Patients

Abstract

Objective: The M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) is a brief assessment of the severity and impact of cancer-related symptoms. The purpose of this study was the translation and validation of the questionnaire in Greek (G-MDASI). Methods: The translation and validation of the assessment took place at a Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit. The final validation sample included 150 cancer patients (61 males, 89 females, age range 31–88 years, mean age 63.32). The patients completed the questionnaires at the outpatient clinic. Assessing the validity and reliability constituted the actual validation of the G-MDASI. Results: The item ‘diarrhea’ had a score of 0 in 139 patients and, thus was omitted from the ‘core’ list. Consequently, the core questionnaire consisted of 14 items. Factor analysis resulted in a 3-factor model, in both validation and cross-validation samples. The examination of the sensitivity of the MDASI revealed that there were differences between patients with poor-to-good performance status but no differences were found between patients in different treatment groups. Conclusions: The results showed that the G-MDASI is a reliable and valid measure in Greek cancer patients. It has proved to be a comprehensive symptom assessment tool.