Sobreviventes de linfoma não Hodgkin: agrupamento de sintomas e qualidade de vida

Abstract

Introduction: The growing number of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) survivors and the lower quality of life (QoL) survivors have been accompanied by the clustering of difficult symptoms. Also, the categorization of survivors from similar characteristics, has been presented as a strategy in the care of this population. Objective: To analyze QoL and clustering of symptoms in NHL survivors. Methods: Cross-sectional study with a non-probabilistic, 79 patients / survivors followed up at a specialized oncohematology outpatient clinic. The EORTC-QLQC30 (QoL), the Revised Piper Fatigue Scale-RPFS (fatigue), the Distress Thermometer-DT (distress), the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire-MSQ (sleep disorders) and the Visual Analog ScaleVAS (pain), as well as socioeconomic, demographic and clinical data were used. Results: Survivors averaged 57,24 (SD = 5.10) years of age, 70.88% were 50 years old or older, 53,16% were males, and 65,82% had a good level of Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS). The mean time since diagnosis was 3,29 years (SD = 3,67), 36,70% were in acute survival, followed by extended survival (24,05%) and long-term survival (19,00%). The overall mean QoL was high (73,12, SD=18,93). Few reported fatigue (18,31%). More than half reported some sleep disturbance and presence of pain, 56,05% and 56,96%, respectively. The prevalence of distress was quite high (81,69%). 62,02% of the sample reported some clustering of symptoms, the most prevalent: distress-pain-sleep disorder (20,25%), distress-pain (11,39%) e distress-pains-sleep disorder-fatigue (11,39%). Survival categories with active disease had worse overall QoL (p = 0.0073) and worse role performance (p = 0.0005). There was significant association between QoL and survival categories (p = 0.0397), with higher means among the categories in remission. Overall QoL scores were higher in the groups with distress (p = 0.0129) and pain (p = 0.0331). No significant association was found between the selected clusters of symptoms and global QoL. Conclusion: The means of QoL were high. The most prevalent survival categories were acute, followed by extended and long term. Association significant between QoL and survival categories was observed, and the categories in remission presented better overall QoL levels. Differences were found between the means of QoL in the distress and pain groups. Clusters of symptoms were present in more than half of the survivors. Distress-pain-sleep disorder was the most frequent. There was no association between the main clusters of symptoms and QoL.