TY - JOUR AU - Khamboon, Thidarat AU - Pongthavornkamol, Kanaungnit AU - Olson, Karin AU - Wattanakitkrileart, Doungrut AU - Viwatwongkasem, Chukiat AU - Lausoontornsiri, Wirote PY - 2015/11/18 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Symptom Experiences and Symptom Cluster across Dimensions in Thais with Advanced Lung Cancer JF - Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research JA - PRIJNR VL - 19 IS - 4 SE - Original paper DO - UR - https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/PRIJNR/article/view/31213 SP - 330-344 AB - <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;This study explores symptom experiences and symptom clusters in persons with&nbsp;advanced lung cancer receiving chemotherapy. Using convenience sampling, 300 Thai participants&nbsp;with advanced lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy were recruited from one university hospital&nbsp;and cancer hospital in Bangkok. Data were collected using two questionnaires: a demographic&nbsp;questionnaire, and the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale. Descriptive statistics was used to&nbsp;determine symptom experience, and a Principal Component Factor with a Varimax rotation&nbsp;was used to analyze clustering of symptoms.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The results showed that the participants experienced multiple symptoms simultaneously.&nbsp;Lack of appetite was rated as the most prevalent and severe symptom. A problem with urination&nbsp;was rated as the most frequent symptom and constipation was rated as the most distressing symptom.&nbsp;Five symptom clusters existed in both dimensions of symptom severity and distress. However,&nbsp;the symptoms that loaded in each cluster and the name of the clusters were slightly different. The&nbsp;clusters in severity were ‘Emotional-elimination discomfort’, ‘Anorexia-related’, ‘Treatment-related&nbsp;gastrointestinal and other’, ‘Neurological and body image’, and ‘Respiratory and sleep disturbance’.&nbsp;Clusters in symptom distress were ‘Emotional-elimination discomfort’, ‘Body image’, ‘Anorexia-related’,&nbsp;‘Treatment-related gastrointestinal and other’, ‘Treatment-related neurological and other’. Future&nbsp;research needs a longitudinal design to identify symptom patterns that might change over time&nbsp;along the disease and treatment trajectory. Our findings could be used to develop an intervention&nbsp;program for managing cluster of symptoms, provided they have an underlying common cause.</p> ER -