Symptom clusters changes in patients with lung cancer during treatment

Objective To explore symptom clusters and changes with time goes among inpatients of lung cancer to provide the basis for clinical nursing staff on symptom management. Methods Using the Chinese version of the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI-C) and the revised lung cancer module on 217 cases of inpatients with lung cancer, and the follow-up after 1 month, 3 months by telephone. Results The result of principal component analysis of three times: there are same symptom clusters on three times evaluation, fatigue-related symptom cluster, lung cancer specific symptom cluster, chemotherapy-related symptom cluster and psychological symptom cluster. The first and third time assessment also contains respiratory symptom cluster. Over time some kinds of symptom clusters company with the disease trajectories. Fatigue-related symptom cluster is the major cluster and correlate to psychological and other symptom clusters. Conclusions Clinical workers should perfect the symptom management of patients all the time according to severity and changes of symptom clusters to benefit patients with lung cancer. Key words: Lung neoplasms; Symptom cluster; Longitudinal studies; Symptom management