MDASI Head and Neck Cancer Module
The MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for head and neck cancer (MDASI-HN) is a disease-specific MDASI module. Use the MDASI-HN to assess the severity of symptoms experienced by patients with head and neck 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-HN also assesses 9 symptoms relevant to head and neck cancer.
| Core MDASI Symptoms | Head and Neck Cancer Symptoms | MDASI Interference |
|---|---|---|
| Pain | Mucus in the mouth or throat | Relations with other people |
| Fatigue | Difficulty swallowing or chewing | Enjoyment of life |
| Nausea | Choking or coughing | Mood |
| Disturbed sleep | Difficulty with voice or speech | Walking |
| Distress (feeling upset) | Skin pain, burning, or rash | Activity |
| Shortness of breath | Constipation | Work (including housework) |
| Difficulty remembering | Problems with tasting food | |
| Lack of appetite | Mouth or throat sores | |
| Drowsiness | Problems with teeth or gums | |
| Dry mouth | ||
| Sadness | ||
| Vomiting | ||
| Numbness/tingling |
Order the MDASI-HN
Use our convenient online form to order the MDASI-HN for use in your clinical research, clinical practice, funded and non-funded academic research, commercial research, or reproduction in educational materials or other publications.
MDASI-HN Features
- Purpose: To assess the severity of multiple symptoms related to head and neck cancer and the impact of these symptoms on daily functioning
- Population: Patients with symptoms caused by head and neck 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 0.72 to 0.92
*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-HN 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 |
|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | Danish |
| English | Dutch |
| French | |
| German | |
| Greek | |
| Italian | |
| Japanese (in process) | |
| Spanish | |
| Thai (in process) | |
| Turkish |
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, including the MDASI-HN. 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-HN References
Validation
Rosenthal DI, Mendoza TR, Chambers MS, et al. Head Neck 29(10): 923-931, 2007.
Cleeland CS, Mendoza TR, Wang XS, et al. Cancer 89:1634-1646, 2000.
Vidyasagar N, Manur Gururajachar J. Rep Pract Oncol Radiother 25(3):355-359, 2020.
Gunn GB, Koukourakis MI, Mendoza TR, Cleeland CS, Rosenthal DI. Forum Clin Oncol 3(1):17-19, 2012.
Clinical Application
Tam VCW, Ching JCF, Yip SST, et al. Front Oncol 14:1378973, 2024.
Milbury K, Rosenthal DI, Li Y, et al. J Pain Symptom Manage 67(6):490-500, 2024.
Morsy BM, El Domiaty S, Meheissen MAM, et al. BMC Oral Health 23(1):612, 2023.
Dohopolski MJ, Diao K, Hutcheson KA, et al. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 149(8):697-707, 2023.
Ou M, Wang G, Yan Y, et al. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs 9(8):100073, 2022.
Takahashi M, Hwang M, Misiukiewicz K, et al. Front Oncol 12:859992, 2022.
Alshawa A, Cadena AP, Stephen B, et al. Invest New Drugs 39(4):1113-1122, 2021.
Mott FE, Sacks R, Johnson F, et al. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 5(6):1104-1109, 2020.
McDowell L, Casswell G, Bressel M, et al. Clin Transl Radiat Oncol 21:85-90, 2020.
Pocobelli G, Ziebell R, Fujii M, et al. EGEMS (Wash DC) 7(1):25, 2019.
Rosenthal DI, Mendoza TR, Chambers MS, et al. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 72(5): 1355-1361, 2008.
Methodology
Al-Rashdan A, Grendarova P, Yannitsos D, et al. Adv Radiat Oncol 7(6):101036, 2022.
van Dijk LV, Mohamed ASR, Ferrarotto R, et al.; MD Anderson Symptom Working Group. .Cancer 127(14):2453-2464, 2021.
Mendoza TR, Gunn GB, Fuller CD, Wang XS, Rosenthal DI, Cleeland CS. American Society of Clinical Oncology 47th Annual Meeting, Chicago IL, Jun 3-7, 2011. J Clin Oncol29(15 Suppl), 6/2011; 5525.
Shi Q, Rosenthal DI, Mendoza T, Cleeland CS. International Society for Quality of Life Research 17th Annual Conference, London, England, Oct 27-30, 2010. Qual Life Res 19(Suppl 1): 51, 2010; 1393.
Mendoza T, Rosenthal D, Wang X, Mobley G, Cleeland C. . American Society of Clinical Oncology 2009 Annual Meeting, Orlando FL, May 29 - Jun 2, 2009. J Clin Oncol 27(15 Suppl), 5/2009; 6067.
Every MDASI module contains:
all 13 core MDASI 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
The MDASI-HN is sensitive to short-term head and neck cancer symptoms. Accurate symptom identification and quantification allow earlier interventions and allows comparison of the symptom burdens associated with various treatment options.
David I. Rosenthal, M.D.
Professor, Radiation?Oncology