Wenli Xiao1, Carmen W H Chan2, Yuying Fan3, Doris Y P Leung4, Weixiong Xia3, Yan He3, Linquan Tang3. 1. School of Nursing, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong, China. 2. The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: whchan@cuhk.edu.hk. 3. State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China and Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong, China; Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong, China. 4. The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Despite the improvement in radiotherapy (RT) technology, patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) still suffer from numerous distressing symptoms simultaneously during RT. The purpose of the study was to investigate the symptom clusters experienced by NPC patients during RT. METHODS: First-treated Chinese NPC patients (n = 130) undergoing late-period RT (from week 4 till the end) were recruited for this cross-sectional study. They completed a sociodemographic and clinical data questionnaire, the Chinese version of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory - Head and Neck Module (MDASI-HN-C) and the Chinese version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Head and Neck Scale (FACT-H&N-C). Principal axis factor analysis with oblimin rotation, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson product-moment correlation were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Four symptom clusters were identified, and labelled general, gastrointestinal, nutrition impact and social interaction impact. Of these 4 types, the nutrition impact symptom cluster was the most severe. Statistically positive correlations were found between severity of all 4 symptom clusters and symptom interference, as well as weight loss. Statistically negative correlations were detected between the cluster severity and the QOL total score and 3 out of 5 subscale scores. CONCLUSION: The four clusters identified reveal the symptom patterns experienced by NPC patients during RT. Future intervention studies on managing these symptom clusters are warranted, especially for the nutrition impact symptom cluster.
PURPOSE: Despite the improvement in radiotherapy (RT) technology, patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) still suffer from numerous distressing symptoms simultaneously during RT. The purpose of the study was to investigate the symptom clusters experienced by NPCpatients during RT. METHODS: First-treated Chinese NPCpatients (n = 130) undergoing late-period RT (from week 4 till the end) were recruited for this cross-sectional study. They completed a sociodemographic and clinical data questionnaire, the Chinese version of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory - Head and Neck Module (MDASI-HN-C) and the Chinese version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Head and Neck Scale (FACT-H&N-C). Principal axis factor analysis with oblimin rotation, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson product-moment correlation were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Four symptom clusters were identified, and labelled general, gastrointestinal, nutrition impact and social interaction impact. Of these 4 types, the nutrition impact symptom cluster was the most severe. Statistically positive correlations were found between severity of all 4 symptom clusters and symptom interference, as well as weight loss. Statistically negative correlations were detected between the cluster severity and the QOL total score and 3 out of 5 subscale scores. CONCLUSION: The four clusters identified reveal the symptom patterns experienced by NPCpatients during RT. Future intervention studies on managing these symptom clusters are warranted, especially for the nutrition impact symptom cluster.
Authors: Yufen Lin; Deborah W Bruner; Sudeshna Paul; Andrew H Miller; Nabil F Saba; Kristin A Higgins; Dong M Shin; Wenhui Zhang; Christine Miaskowski; Canhua Xiao Journal: Cancer Date: 2022-08-15 Impact factor: 6.921
Authors: Asha Mathew; Amit Jiwan Tirkey; Hongjin Li; Alana Steffen; Mark B Lockwood; Crystal L Patil; Ardith Z Doorenbos Journal: Semin Oncol Nurs Date: 2021-09-03 Impact factor: 3.527