Symptom clusters of ovarian cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and their emotional status and quality of life

Purpose: We conducted a descriptive study to identify the symptoms, emotional status, and quality of life experienced by hospitalized ovarian cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and influencing the factors of symptom clusters on their quality of life. Methods: A total of 192 patients who had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and received adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery more than once from 2 university hospitals with over 800 beds located in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas of South Korea were included in this study. Using a structured questionnaire, the symptoms, emotional status, and quality of life by these patients were investigated from May 2012 to June 2013. Results: We identified the following 7 symptom clusters among ovarian cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: psychological distress, fatigue-pain, abdominal discomfort, flu-like symptoms, fluid accumulation, and peripheral neuropathy. Patients with a high level of anxiety or depression experienced all symptoms at a higher level, and the 7 symptom clusters influenced all aspects of the patients' quality of life. Conclusions: This study provides to need interventions for the quality of life of ovarian cancer patients need to include the management of not only the physical symptoms and treatment-related side effects, but also the changes in their emotional status and daily lives.