Stability of Symptom Clusters in Patients With Gastrointestinal Cancers Receiving Chemotherapy.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Limited evidence suggests that patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers receiving chemotherapy (CTX) experience an average of 13 co-occurring symptoms. An alternative to counting symptoms is to evaluate for symptom clusters.

Objectives

In a sample of patients with GI cancers receiving CTX (n = 399), we evaluated the occurrence, severity, and distress of 38 symptoms in the week before patients' second or third cycle of CTX (Time 1 [T1]), approximately one week after CTX (Time 2 [T2]), and approximately two weeks after CTX (Time 3 [T3]); evaluated for differences in the number and types of symptom clusters at each of these three assessments using ratings of occurrence, severity, and distress; and evaluated for changes in symptom clusters over time.

Methods

Mo

SUBMITTER: Han CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6878189 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature