Cancer nursing
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The objective of the study was to describe the quality of life (QOL) and coping style of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients after hospitalization and to explore the relationship between coping style and health-related QOL of NPC patients. A descriptive correlational design was used in this study. Ninety-eight NPC patients were investigated by a convenient sampling method. ⋯ Positive emotion-focused coping styles were positively correlated to QOL, and negative emotion-focused ones negatively correlated. Problem-focused coping styles were not statistically correlated to QOL among NPC patients posttherapy. The findings of this study suggest that nurses need to pay attention to the QOL of NPC patients posttherapy, including appropriate education to minimize ongoing adverse effects and support the use of effective coping styles.
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The purpose of this exploratory, secondary analysis was to compare the prevalence of symptoms attributable to breast cancer or its treatment and to identify and describe symptom clusters across 3 phases of the disease. A pooled analysis was conducted by combining existing symptom data collected at the baseline assessment from 3 independent studies of women with breast cancer. Study I had 40 women with early-stage breast cancer following primary surgery for their disease and prior to the initiation of adjuvant therapy. ⋯ Three symptom clusters were identified corresponding to 3 different phases of the breast cancer experience. Each cluster was composed of symptoms related to fatigue, perceived cognitive impairment, and mood problems. Future studies are needed to prospectively examine whether these symptoms cluster across 3 phases of breast cancer and the effect of these clusters on the functional ability and quality of life in women with breast cancer.