Abstract
BACKGROUND: A lack of identified core symptom clusters in digestive cancer patients hinders achieving precision symptom intervention. There are few studies on identifying digestive cancer symptom clusters based on network analysis. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to construct the symptom network of digestive cancer patients and identify the core symptom cluster. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 202 digestive cancer patients. The Chinese version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for gastrointestinal cancer scale was used to assess the symptoms by convenience sampling. R software was used to construct a symptom network and identify core symptom clusters. Edge weight and centrality difference tests were used to test the accuracy of core symptom cluster identification. RESULTS: The most common symptoms were distress, poor appetite, and sadness. The most serious symptoms were poor appetite, disturbed sleep, and fatigue. The core symptom cluster of the psychoemotional symptom group was distress, sadness, and numbness. The centrality index showed that the top 3 in strength were distress (Rs = 1.11), fatigue (Rs = 1.09), and sadness (Rs = 1.04). The edge weight difference test showed that the psychoemotional symptom group had high stability. CONCLUSIONS: The psychoemotional symptoms of digestive cancer patients should be given priority for intervention. Network analysis must be extended to the symptom research of cancer patients as soon as possible to provide a scientific basis for symptom management. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurses must perform comprehensive psychological and emotional assessments, initiate referrals for psychoemotional symptom management and psychological services, and administer pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions to improve appetite loss in digestive cancer patients.