A Review of the Research on Symptom Clusters in Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Cancer survivors often experience multisymptom clusters, substantial discomfort and lower QOL (quality of life) than the general population. This article summarized the progress of the research on symptom clusters in cancer survivors, and reviewed the definitions, influencing factors, and identified approaches and interventions regarding symptom clusters. The findings allow recommendations to be made in clinical nursing to improve the QOL of cancer survivors. In future studies, longitudinal, large-sample and multicenter studies are recommended to obtain more in-depth information about the changes in symptom and symptom cluster experience perceived by groups of cancer survivors.