Pain Perceived by Outpatients Receiving Chemotherapy for Cancer

Abstract

Abstract

In the present study, cancer patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy were interviewed in order to clarify the types of pain and suffering that they experience in daily living. More than half of the cancer patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy experienced physical symptoms (such as “constantly tired” and “hair loss”) and non-physical symptoms (“thinking about having to come for treatment”, “having to wait for treatment with other patients”, and “affects my work/home duties”). Six of the ten most common symptoms were non-physical symptoms. Cancer patients reported experiencing a total of 19 categories of worries and difficulties. These include six categories for treatment-related pain and anxiety including “pain associated with prolonged therapy” and “anxiety about the body’s tolerance of therapy”; six categories for family-related anxiety and discontent, such as “family is worried about the disease” and “family is uncooperative”; and other categories including “anxiety about work”, “anxiety about finance”, “always thinking about the disease”, “anxiety about mortality”, “responses by healthcare professionals”, “lack of people to talk with” and “social prejudice”. As family relations such as family-related anxiety and discontent affect the patient’s perception of chemotherapy side-effects, it is necessary to help family members understand the importance of family support and assist them in providing support so that the patient’s anxiety and chemotherapy side-effects can be minimized in order to maintain their QOL.