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Factors Associated With Symptom Profiles Among Chinese Patients With Multiple Myeloma: A Latent Profile Analysis
Ting Wang1, Yingying Lin2, Leiwen Tang3
1Nursing Department, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Background:
This cross-sectional study aimed to identify symptom profiles and their associated factors in Chinese patients with multiple myeloma, thereby providing an evidence-based foundation for developing targeted symptom management strategies.
Methods:
Patients with multiple myeloma were recruited via convenience sampling from the hematology departments of three tertiary general hospitals in Zhejiang Province, China, between January and March 2024. Data collection utilized a sociodemographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire and the Chinese version of the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory-Multiple Myeloma Module (MDASI-MM) scale. The research conducted a latent profile analysis of symptom characteristics, followed by univariate analysis and multivariable multinomial logistic regression to examine factors associated with profile membership.
Results:
The study included 265 Chinese patients with multiple myeloma. Latent profile analysis identified three distinct symptom profiles: "Low Symptom Burden with Walking Distress" (46.7%), "Moderate Physical Symptoms with Daily Life Interference" (37.9%), and "High Global Symptom Burden" (15.4%). Multinomial logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age, marital status, combination chemotherapy status, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status were significantly associated with symptom profile membership (p < 0.05). Specifically, patients of advanced age and those with higher ECOG scores were more likely to belong to the higher burden profiles, while patients receiving combination chemotherapy and those who were unmarried/divorced/widowed were more likely to belong to the low-burden profile.
Conclusions:
Patients with multiple myeloma exhibit heterogeneous symptom experiences, classifiable into three latent profiles. Our findings suggest that age, marital status, combination chemotherapy, and ECOG performance status may help identify patients at risk for higher symptom burden. Future longitudinal research is needed to evaluate whether profile-based interventions reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life.