Individualized symptom experience and predictors in cancer patients after oesophagectomy: A latent profile analysis

In the care for oesophageal cancer, symptom assessment was mainly carried out from the perspective of the total score using scales, which ignored individual differences in symptom experience among patients. To provide personalized symptom management, individual differences among patients with oesophageal cancer warranted further investigation. The objective was to identify the different symptom profiles of patients after oesophagectomy and examine the risk factors affecting the symptom profiles.

It was a descriptive study with cross-sectional design. A total of 258 participants were recruited. Latent profile analysis was used to identify different profile of symptoms, and multiple logistic regression was used to identify risk factors.

Three distinct profiles were identified: the "complex symptoms group" (32.6%), the "throat symptoms group" (25.2%), and the "single fatigue group" (42.2%). Patients with higher prognostic nutritional index (OR = 0.797), higher resilience scale score (OR = 0.907), living in city or town (OR = 0.396), and stage II cancer (OR = 0.413) were more likely to be classified as "single fatigue group". Patients with higher prognostic nutritional index (OR = 1.233) and cervical anastomosis (OR = 4.586) tended to be classified as the "throat symptoms group". Unemployed patients (OR = 0.204) tended to belong to the "complex symptoms group," whereas patients with higher prognostic nutritional index were less likely to be in the "complex symptoms group."

Individual differences existed in the symptom experience of patients undergoing surgery for oesophageal cancer. Precise symptom management programs should be designed and implemented according to the individualized characteristics of the patient's symptom experience to promote patients' recovery.