Symptom clusters in patients with lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy

Aim: The aim was to identify symptoms experienced by patients with lung cancer who had received chemotherapy and to determine the symptom clusters.Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study. A Patient Presentation Form, the ECOG Performance Scale, and the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale were used. The data were collected between September 2016 and June 2017. The sample of the study consisted of 100 patients who met the selection criteria.Results: When the prevalence of the symptoms experienced by the patients was examined, the most common complaints were lack of energy (82%), loss of appetite (71%), change in taste of food (62%), anxiety and feeling irritable (69%). The most common symptoms were weakness (8%), loss of appetite (14%), anxiety (20%) and feeling sad (28%).Conclusion: When the occurrence and severity ratings were examined, the symptoms could be placed into five groups: the gastrointestinal system cluster, the psychology cluster, the respiratory cluster, the neurology cluster, and the cluster of skin changes. The symptoms of lung cancer patients interact with each other and should be managed with appropriate interventions. Moreover, health professionals’ awareness of symptom management should be improved.