Greek M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory: Validation and utility in cancer patients

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. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel.