A scoping review of symptom clusters in adult leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Patients with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy frequently present with a cluster of co-occurring symptoms, which exacerbate both physical and mental burdens and may worsen prognosis. A comprehensive review of the types, characteristics, and research status of these symptom clusters is thus necessary to inform and improve symptom management strategies.<h4>Methods</h4>A systematic search was conducted in 8 databases, including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Database, VIP Database, and China Biomedical Literature Database, for relevant studies on symptom clusters in leukemia patients during chemotherapy. The retrieval period spanned from the inception of the databases until June 28, 2024.<h4>Results</h4>Nine studies identified 11 symptom clusters concluding skin-related, oral-related, self-image impairment, gastrointestinal, nervous system-related, psychological, energy deficiency, adverse reaction, pain-related, nutritional, and disease behavior symptom clusters. Notably, the gastrointestinal and psychological symptom clusters were the most prevalent.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy commonly experience multiple symptom clusters, yet there are substantial variations in the internal composition of these clusters. Future research should focus on exploring specific symptom assessment tools for leukemia patients and integrating multiple advanced analysis methods, such as machine learning, to improve the accuracy of symptom cluster identification and support the formulation of targeted management strategies.