Symptom clusters and quality of life in China patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy

Objective: To explore the symptom clusters and quality of life in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was completed with 183 patients from three public hospitals in Xi'an, China. Patients completed a demographic questionnaire, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung Cancer (FACT-L) and the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI-C). Factor analysis was used to identify symptom clusters based on the severity of patients' symptom experiences. The resulting clusters were correlated with quality-of-life measures. Results: The QOL scores of lung cancer patients on the functioning subscale were the lowest (9.70 +/- 5.30), while those of the family subscale were the highest (19.28 +/- 3.24). Three symptom clusters were identified: gastrointestinal, emotional and fatigue-related symptoms. There was a negative relationship between the symptom clusters and multiple dimensions of quality of life (r-0.178 square-0.805, p < 0.05). Females, especially those women with low education level/chronic diseases, were experienced greater symptom distress than others. Conclusions: The clusters had a negative relationship with QOL. Identifying symptom clusters helped clarify possible interrelationships which may lead to the establishment of more effective symptom management interventions for patients with lung cancer in order to improve the quality of life.