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Autografting

Symptom burden in patients undergoing autologous stem-cell transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 39, pages 759–766 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Patients who undergo autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation experience multiple symptoms that adversely affect quality of life. We assessed symptoms during the acute phase of autologous PBSC transplantation to determine the severity of individual symptoms and to determine overall symptom profiles in 100 patients with multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Study subjects completed the blood and marrow transplantation module of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory before hospitalization, during conditioning, on day of transplantation, at nadir (the time of lowest white blood cell count) and on day 30 post-transplantation. Additional symptom, quality-of-life and medical status measures were collected. Symptom means were mild at baseline, intensified during conditioning, peaked at nadir and decreased by day 30. At nadir, the most severe symptoms for the entire patient sample were lack of appetite, fatigue, weakness, feeling sick, disturbed sleep, nausea and diarrhea. Cancer diagnosis was a significant predictor of changes in symptoms over time. The patterns of fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance and lack of appetite were significantly different for patients with multiple myeloma as compared with patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Public Health Service grant CA85228 from the National Cancer Institute. We gratefully acknowledge the recruiting assistance of Smiler Smith and Leah Beattie-Palmer. We also acknowledge the editorial assistance of Jeanie Woodruff, ELS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Symptom Research, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    K O Anderson, T R Mendoza, J O Brown, G M Mobley, X S Wang & C S Cleeland

  2. Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    S A Giralt & J L Neumann

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  1. K O Anderson
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  2. S A Giralt
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  3. T R Mendoza
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Correspondence to K O Anderson.

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Anderson, K., Giralt, S., Mendoza, T. et al. Symptom burden in patients undergoing autologous stem-cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 39, 759–766 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1705664

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