Purpose: Due to advances in anticancer treatment and supportive care, patients increasingly complained about nonphysical side effects of chemotherapy and targeted therapy in recent years. Therefore, continuous assessment of side effects and patients' perceptions is important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the identification and severity of side effects perceived by ovarian cancer (OC) and breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing contemporary anticancer therapy.
Methods: Between 2015 and 2017, consecutive chemo-naïve OC and BC patients were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. Interviews were performed 12 ± 3 weeks after start of anticancer therapy, and patients were asked to select and rank, according to severity, 72 physical or nonphysical symptoms potentially related to their treatment. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics.
Results: Forty-five OC patients and 98 BC patients completed the interview. Sleeping difficulties were ranked as the most troublesome symptom, followed by concerns about family or partner, and loss of hair. Alopecia was the most predominant side effect for BC patients, whereas OC patients were highly afflicted by numbness in limbs. Chemotherapy alone or in combination with targeted therapy caused pronounced sleep disturbances. Prolonged taxane treatment led to shortness of breath and numbness in limbs. Vomiting was ranked by one and nausea by eight women among the five most bothersome symptoms.
Conclusions: Sleep disturbances have lately emerged as the most severe problem in women with OC or BC receiving anticancer therapy. Concerns about family and partner were ranked second in the current study and first in previous investigations.
Keywords: Chemotherapy; Patients’ perception; Side effect; Sleep disturbance; Supportive care; Targeted therapy.