Worry is a core symptom among people with multiple myeloma (MM), according to a study published in Supportive Care in Cancer. The cross-sectional study used sequential sampling to explore the core symptom of patients with MM who were undergoing chemotherapy and assess the relationship between symptoms.
Researchers used a questionnaire to measure the symptoms of chemotherapy-treated MM, including worry, pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, constipation, dry mouth, change in food taste, weight loss, bloating, dizziness, feeling sad, nervousness, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and difficulty concentrating.
Results found the most prevalent symptoms to be pain and difficulty sleeping. However, the network analysis showed that worrying had the greatest effect on other symptoms, making it the core symptom.
“By focusing on worrying while managing symptoms in a clinical setting, interventions would have maximal effectiveness due to a chain reaction,” the researchers said. “Understanding the correlation among symptoms is beneficial in the management of symptoms in [patients with] chemotherapy- treated MM.”
Source: Supportive Care in Cancer, April 25, 2023.
