Distinct Symptom Profiles in Younger and Older Patients With Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Psychosocial Oncology

Background:

• Older cancer patients report different symptom experiences than younger patients.
• Symptom burden significantly impacts quality of life in oncology patients.
• Understanding age-related symptom profiles is crucial for tailored care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct symptom burden profiles in younger and older oncology patients.
• To evaluate risk factors associated with these identified symptom profiles.
• To compare symptom profiles and associated factors across age groups.

Main Methods:

• Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify symptom profiles in 1329 oncology outpatients.
• Patients were stratified into younger (<60 years) and older (≥60 years) groups.
• Data included demographics, clinical factors, stress, resilience, coping, and 38 common symptoms.

Main Results:

• Four symptom profiles were found in younger patients: All Low, Moderate Physical/Lower Psychological, Moderate Physical/Higher Psychological, and All High.
• Three profiles were identified in older patients: Low, Moderate, and High symptom burden.
• High symptom burden profiles in both groups were associated with being female, higher comorbidity, lower functional status, and increased stress/lower resilience.

Conclusions:

• This study first utilized LCA to define age-specific symptom burden profiles in cancer patients.
• Psychological symptoms differentiated profiles in younger patients, while disengagement coping strategies characterized older patients with high symptom burden.
• Findings highlight the need for age-tailored interventions to manage symptom burden in cancer care.