MDASI Ovarian Cancer Module
The MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for ovarian cancer (MDASI-OC) is a disease-specific MDASI module. Use the MDASI-OC to assess the severity of symptoms experienced by patients with ovarian cancer and the interference with daily living caused by these symptoms.
Along with the core MDASI’s 13 symptom items and 6 interference items, the MDASI-OC also assesses 8 symptoms specific to ovarian cancer.
| Core MDASI Symptoms | Ovarian Cancer Symptoms | MDASI Interference |
|---|---|---|
| Pain | Abdominal pain | Relations with other people |
| Fatigue | Feeling bloated | Enjoyment of life |
| Nausea | Constipation | Mood |
| Disturbed sleep | Urinary urgency | Walking |
| Distress (feeling upset) | Pain or burning with urination | Activity |
| Shortness of breath | Problems with paying attention or concentrating | Work (including housework) |
| Difficulty remembering | Back pain | |
| Lack of appetite | Leg cramps or leg muscle pain | |
| Drowsiness | ||
| Dry mouth | ||
| Sadness | ||
| Vomiting | ||
| Numbness/tingling |
Order the MDASI-OC
MDASI-OC Features
- Purpose: To assess the severity of multiple symptoms related to ovarian cancer and the impact of these symptoms on daily functioning
- Population: Patients with symptoms caused by ovarian cancer and its treatment
- Assessment areas: Severity of multiple symptoms and the impact of symptoms on daily functioning during the last 24 hours
- Method: Self-report or interview with research staff; paper-and-pencil or electronic data entry*
- Time required: Five minutes or less
- Scoring: Please see the MDASI User Guide
- Reliability: Cronbach alpha reliability ranges from 0.88 to 0.91
*Electronic data capture offers several benefits:
- Allows symptom monitoring when the patient is away from the hospital
- Is convenient for patients, who can choose web access, personalized patient portals, or smartphones to access questionnaires
- Minimizes missing data, especially in longitudinal studies
- Provides accurate, real-time symptom data at expected time points
- Generates immediate feedback, potentially allowing caregivers to address severe symptoms more effectively
MDASI-OC Language Versions
Click on a linked language to view a sample in PDF format.
Don't see a language you need? Contact us at symptomresearch@mdanderson.org.
| Psychometrically and Linguistically Validated | Linguistically Validated |
|---|---|
| English | Chinese (Simplified) |
| Dutch | |
| French | |
| Polish | |
| Spanish | |
| Thai |
MDASI User Guide
In response to the US Food and Drug Administration's 2009 guidance for the pharmaceutical industry on the use of patient-reported outcomes measures in medical product development to support labeling claims, we have prepared a MDASI User Guide to document the development and psychometric properties of the MDASI and its modules. The User Guide addresses the recommendations in the FDA guidance and establishes the MDASI's adequacy as a measure to support medical product claims.
Selected MDASI-OC References
Validation
Sailors MH, Bodurka DC, Gning I, et al. Validating the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) for use in patients with ovarian cancer. Gynecol Oncol 130(2):323-328, 2013.
Williams LA, Agarwal S, Bodurka DC, et al. Capturing the patient's experience: using qualitative methods to develop a measure of patient-reported symptom burden: an example from ovarian cancer. J Pain Symptom Manage 46(6):837-845, 2013.
Cleeland CS, Mendoza TR, Wang XS, et al. Assessing symptom distress in cancer: the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory. Cancer 89:1634-1646, 2000.
Clinical Application
Kim JH, Lee DE, Lee Y, et al. Quality of life outcomes from the randomized trial of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy following cytoreductive surgery for primary ovarian cancer (KOV-HIPEC-01). J Gynecol Oncol 33(4):e54, 2022.
Yamamoto K, Nagao S, Tsu T, et al. Quality of life assessment of cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy during initial treatment for advanced ovarian cancer: a prospective cohort study. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 47(4):1536-1543, 2021.
Meyer LA, Shi Q, Lasala J, et al. Comparison of patient reported symptom burden on an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) care pathway in patients with ovarian cancer undergoing primary vs. interval tumor reductive surgery. Gynecol Oncol 152(3):501-508, 2019.
Tsao Y, Creedy DK.Auricular acupressure: reducing side effects of chemotherapy in women with ovarian cancer. Support Care Cancer 27(11):4155-4163, 2019.
Campbell G, Hagan T, Gilbertson-White S, et al. Cancer and treatment-related symptoms are associated with mobility disability in women with ovarian cancer: a cross-sectional study. Gynecol Oncol 143(3):578-583, 2016.
Brown AJ, Shen MJ, Urbauer D, et al. Room for improvement: an examination of advance care planning documentation among gynecologic oncology patients. Gynecol Oncol 142(3):525-530, 2016.
Meyer LA, Nick AM, Shi Q, et al. Perioperative trajectory of patient reported symptoms: a pilot study in gynecologic oncology patients. Gynecol Oncol 136(3):440-445, 2015.
Meyer LA, Lasala J, Cain K, et al. Adoption of an enhanced recovery program leads to decreased patient reported opioid related adverse events [abstract]. International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL) 23rd Annual Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, Oct 19-22, 2016. Qual Life Res 25(1 Supplement):119, 2016; Abstract #2043.
Turner M, Monk B, Bodurka DC, et al. Patient-reported symptoms in ovarian cancer before and after disease progression in conjunction with bevacizumab maintenance therapy [abstract]. International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 21st Annual International Meeting, Washington DC, May 21-25, 2016. Value Health 19(3):A158, 2016; Abstract #PCN138.
Every MDASI module contains:
all 13 MDASI core symptoms...
pain, fatigue, nausea, disturbed sleep, distress, shortness of breath, difficulty remembering, lack of appetite, drowsiness, dry mouth, sadness, vomiting, numbness/tingling
...and all 6 MDASI interference items
general activity, mood, work, relations with others, walking, enjoyment of life
Ovarian cancer has high rates of recurrence, making patient-reported symptoms important to capture potential treatment benefit and disease trajectory.
Michelle Turner, M.S.
ICON Clinical Research, USA