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Symptoms, supportive care needs, and function in cancer patients: how are they related?

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Abstract

Aims To explore the associations among symptoms, supportive care needs, and function.

Methods One hundred and seventeen cancer patients completed the Supportive Care Needs Survey and EORTC-QLQ-C30 in a cross-sectional study. Associations among function (physical, role, emotional, cognitive, social), symptoms (fatigue, nausea/vomiting, pain, dyspnea, insomnia, appetite loss, constipation, diarrhea), and supportive care needs (physical and daily living, psychological, patient care and support, health system and information, sexual) were tested using multivariate item regression (MIR). We tested (1) function as the dependent variable with symptoms and supportive care needs as independent variables and (2) supportive care needs as the dependent variable with symptoms and function as independent variables.

Results Worse fatigue, pain, and appetite loss were associated with worse function. Greater unmet physical and daily living needs were associated with worse physical, role, and cognitive function. Greater unmet psychological needs were associated with worse emotional and cognitive function. Worse sleep problems were associated with greater unmet needs. Better physical function was associated with fewer unmet physical and daily living needs, and better emotional function was associated with fewer unmet psychological, patient care and support, and health system and information needs.

Conclusions The results obtained with these models suggest several consistent relationships among symptoms, supportive care needs, and function.

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Abbreviations

CFA:

Confirmatory factor analysis

Cog:

Cognitive function

Constip:

Constipation

ECOG:

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group

EFA:

Exploratory factor analysis

Emot:

Emotional function

EORTC-QLQ-C30:

European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire–Core 30

HSI:

Health system and information needs

HRQOL:

Health-related quality of life

MIR:

Multivariate item regression

PCS:

Patient care and support needs

PDL:

Physical and daily living needs

Phys:

Physical function

PRM:

Patient-reported measure

Psyc:

Psychological needs

SCNS:

Supportive Care Needs Survey–Short Form

SEX:

Sexual needs

Soc:

Social function

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank David Ettinger, MD, and Charles Rudin, MD, for their assistance in recruiting patients for the study; Danetta Hendricks, MA, and Kristina Weeks, BA, BS, for their assistance in coordinating the study; Amanda Blackford, ScM, for assistance with conducting preliminary analyses. This research was supported by the Aegon International Fellowship in Oncology (CFS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Claire F. Snyder, Elizabeth Garrett-Mayer, Julie R. Brahmer, Michael A. Carducci, Roberto Pili, Vered Stearns, Antonio C. Wolff, Sydney M. Dy & Albert W. Wu

  2. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Claire F. Snyder, Sydney M. Dy & Albert W. Wu

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  1. Claire F. Snyder
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  2. Elizabeth Garrett-Mayer
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  3. Julie R. Brahmer
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  7. Antonio C. Wolff
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  8. Sydney M. Dy
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  9. Albert W. Wu
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Correspondence to Claire F. Snyder.

Appendix

Appendix

Technical appendix A Relationship between symptoms and needs to multivariate function outcomea
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Technical appendix B Relationship between symptoms and function to multivariate need outcomea
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Snyder, C.F., Garrett-Mayer, E., Brahmer, J.R. et al. Symptoms, supportive care needs, and function in cancer patients: how are they related?. Qual Life Res 17, 665–677 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-008-9331-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-008-9331-8

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