Findings of a new study suggest that patients with multiple myeloma (MM) may experience symptoms in clusters. When experiencing multiple symptom clusters, addressing the pain symptom cluster may have the greatest impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The study results were reported in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

The cross-sectional study involved patients with MM treated at tertiary hospitals in Hunan, China, between June 2020 and March 2021. Patients eligible for inclusion were receiving treatment using any of several possible chemotherapy-only regimens.

Participants completed questionnaires regarding symptoms and quality of life. These included the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire–core 30 (EORTC-QLQ-C30), both of which were translated into Chinese. The study investigators used a method called principal component analysis to identify symptom clusters in patients. They then evaluated relationships between symptom clusters and quality of life.

Of the 177 patients recruited for participation, 170 completed the questionnaires and were included in analyses. Participants had a mean age of 58.73 years (SD, 8.72). Approximately 20% of the study population had been treated with chemotherapy for 2 or more years.

The study investigators identified a total of 6 symptom clusters. These included self-image disorder, psychological, gastrointestinal, neurological, somatic, and pain symptom clusters. Nearly all patients (97.65%) undergoing chemotherapy had symptoms associated with 2 or more symptom clusters, with 34.12% experiencing features from all 6 symptom clusters.

Addressing MM Symptoms in Clusters Improves HRQOL More Effectively

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