title: Validating the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) for use in patients with ovarian cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) captures the severity of common cancer symptoms from the patient's perspective. We describe the validity and sensitivity of a module of the MDASI to be used with patients having ovarian cancer (MDASI-OC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Ovarian cancer-specific module items were developed from 14 qualitative patient interviews. 128 patients with invasive epithelial ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian-tube cancer treated at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center were recruited. Patients completed the MDASI-OC, socio-demographic questionnaires, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Ovary (FACT-O), and a global quality-of-life (QOL) item. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach α, and sensitivity using a known group was assessed. Construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample was primarily white (85.2%), had a mean age of 57.5 years (±12.7 years), and had previously been treated with chemotherapy (75.0%) and/or surgery (93.8%). Approximately 30% of patients reported disturbed sleep, fatigue, or numbness/tingling of at least moderate severity (≥5 on a 0-10 scale). On the ovarian-cancer-specific symptoms, approximately 20% reported back pain, feeling bloated, or constipation of at least moderate severity. Factor analysis revealed six underlying constructs (pain/sleep; cognitive; disease-related and numbness; treatment-related; affective; gastrointestinal-specific). MDASI-OC symptom and interference items had Cronbach α values of 0.90 and 0.89, respectively. The MDASI-OC was sensitive to symptom severity by performance status (p=0.009), QOL (p=0.002), and FACT-O scores (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 27-item MDASI-OC meets common criteria for validation and reliability and is sensitive to expected changes in symptoms related to differences in disease and treatment status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Symptom Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 1450, Houston, TX 77030, USA. mlsailors@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Mary H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Sailors
authors.forename: Diane C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Bodurka
authors.forename: Ibrahima
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gning
authors.forename: Lois M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ramondetta
authors.forename: Loretta A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Tito R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.forename: Sonika
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: Charlotte C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Charles S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Cleeland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Assessment; M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory; MDASI; Ovarian cancer; Symptoms; Validation