Identifying Core Self-reported Adverse Events Associated With Chemotherapy Among Patients With Breast Cancer: A Network Analysis.
Qingmei Huang, Hao Zhang, Chunfang Yu and 6 others
PMID 39899005WHAT IT FOUND
Self-reported fatigue was the most central chemotherapy symptom among breast cancer patients, followed by decreased appetite.
Nausea and vomiting were tightly linked. Muscle pain was most central early; fatigue was most central in later cycles.
Key findings
01Fatigue was the most central self-reported adverse event in the overall network, followed by decreased appetite.
02In early-phase chemotherapy, muscle pain was the most central adverse event; in middle-phase and late-phase chemotherapy, fatigue was the most central adverse event.
03The strongest links in the overall network were nausea with vomiting, taste changes with decreased appetite, and decreased appetite with nausea.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample from 3 hospitals, so it may not represent other populations. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show which symptom came first or whether one symptom caused another. Subgroup networks were small, so phase-specific centrality findings are less stable. The network stability coefficient was 0.359, above the stated threshold of 0.25, but the overall sample was 195. Only 23 adverse events were assessed, so other symptoms were not included in the network.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not state a funder.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read fatigue's central position as proof that treating fatigue will reduce nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, or other symptoms. The study was cross-sectional and only described associations among self-reported symptoms.