Japanese version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Head and Neck Tumor module: Validation study

This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Head and Neck Tumor module (MDASI-HN), a patient-reported outcome measure for head and neck cancer.

The MDASI-HN was translated into Japanese, and cognitive debriefing was conducted. A cross-sectional study was administered to patients with head and neck cancer who were recruited within 5 years of receiving surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy at three cancer treatment centers. The reliability and validity of the Japanese version were confirmed through structural equation modeling, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, known-groups validity.

The Japanese translation of the MDASI-HN was revised with developer feedback. Cognitive debriefing with five patients provided positive feedback regarding the ease of completion and understanding. A cross-sectional sample of 147 patients completed the questionnaire. Structural equation modeling showed a Confirmatory Fit Index of 0.975 and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation of 0.059. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.88 for head and neck cancer-specific items and 0.96 for all symptom items. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (2,1) were 0.72 for HNC-specific items and 0.74 for all items. The convergent validity with the EORTC QLQ-H&N module was r ​= ​0.79. The known-groups validity showed small to moderate effect sizes for all subitems, based on the comparison of mean ECOG Performance Status Scale scores between the two groups.

The results showed that the translated MSASI-HN was reliable, valid, and feasible for use in Japanese-speaking patients with head and neck cancer.