Symptom Clusters in Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Their Association With Quality of Life.
Yun-Shan Chen, Jia-Hui Yan, Hui-Ling Yan et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesised 45 studies of symptom clusters in people with gastrointestinal cancer, examining cluster patterns, stability over time, and associations with quality of life. Three common, relatively stable clusters were identified: pain-fatigue-sleep disturbance, gastrointestinal symptom cluster I, and psychological symptoms. Each had a moderate negative correlation with quality of life. Subgroup analyses suggested that cancer type, assessment time point, study quality, and publication year may contribute to variation across findings.
Key findings
- The review included 45 studies of symptom clusters in gastrointestinal cancer patients.
- Three common clusters were identified: pain-fatigue-sleep disturbance, gastrointestinal symptom cluster I, and psychological symptoms.
- Each of the three clusters showed a moderate negative correlation with quality of life.
- Cancer type, time point, study quality, and publication year were potential sources of heterogeneity.
Why it matters
Considering symptoms as clusters may help describe the combined burden experienced by people with gastrointestinal cancer, rather than treating symptoms only in isolation. The observed associations with poorer quality of life support attention to these recurring patterns in assessment and research. However, the review reports correlations and does not establish that managing a cluster will improve quality of life.
What to keep in mind
The findings synthesise studies with potential heterogeneity; subgroup analyses identified several possible sources of variation. The abstract does not report pooled effect estimates or details of follow-up.