The core symptom in gastric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: a network analysis

Abstract Background ​During chemotherapy for gastric cancer, patients may experience symptoms associated with both the disease and chemotherapy. There have been limited studies exploring the relationship between these symptoms. Network analysis can identify the core symptoms in the symptom network. Objective The purpose of this research was to investigate the core symptoms and contributing factors in gastric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods A cross-sectional study of convenient samples of patients with gastric cancer undergoing chemotherapy was conducted. A total of 616 gastric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy were enrolled between January 2021 and November 2022.​ The symptom network and node characteristics were analyzed using network analysis, and the factors affecting the symptom network were investigated using multivariate linear regression analysis. Results The findings indicated that 89% of gastric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy experienced lack of appetite. Taste alteration was the most prominent symptom in the network analysis, with the strongest correlation between taste alteration and lack of appetite in patients. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender, history of tobacco use and chemotherapy cycles were the factors affecting taste alteration. Conclusion Taste alteration was the core symptom in gastric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Interventions are likely to be most effective if symptom management focuses on taste alteration. Additionally, lack of appetite should be treated together in a clinical setting to ensure accurate symptom management.