Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2025 Apr 28;78(2):e20240091.
doi: 10.1590/0034-7167-2024-0091. eCollection 2025.

Cancer symptom cluster in hospitalized women with breast cancer: a descriptive observational study

[Article in English, Portuguese]
Roberto Júnio Gomes Silva  1 , Wesley Rocha Grippa  1 , Raphael Manhães Pessanha  1 , Júlia Anhoque Cavalcanti Marcarini  1 , Luiz Cláudio Barreto Silva Neto  1 , Naira Santos D'Agostini  1 , Luís Carlos Lopes-Júnior  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

Cancer symptom cluster in hospitalized women with breast cancer: a descriptive observational study

[Article in English, Portuguese]
Roberto Júnio Gomes Silva et al. Rev Bras Enferm. .

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Objectives: to describe and analyze the most prevalent cancer symptom clusters as well as their intensity, discomfort and clustering in hospitalized women with non-metastatic malignant breast cancer.

Methods: a descriptive observational study, with 100 women hospitalized with non-metastatic breast cancer, recruited at a reference oncology center in southeastern Brazil between June 2022 and March 2023. To analyze cancer symptom clusters, the hierarchical method was used.

Results: fifty-one patients were in stage I of the disease, 13 women in stage II, and 36 women in stage III. The most frequent histological type was ductal carcinoma in situ (38%), followed by invasive carcinoma (33%). The most prevalent cancer symptoms were pain (67%), lack of energy (63%), worrying (62%), and difficulty sleeping (57%), constituting a neuropsychological symptom cluster.

Conclusions: the neuropsychological symptom cluster (pain-lack of energy-worrying-difficulty sleeping) was the most prevalent in women hospitalized with non-metastatic malignant breast neoplasm.

Objetivos:: describir y analizar los síntomas oncológicos más prevalentes, así como su intensidad, malestar y agrupación en mujeres hospitalizadas con cáncer de mama no metastásico.

Métodos:: estudio observacional descriptivo, con 100 mujeres hospitalizadas con cáncer de mama no metastásico, reclutadas en un centro de referencia en oncología del sudeste de Brasil entre junio de 2022 y marzo de 2023. Para analizar clusters de síntomas oncológicos se utilizó el método jerárquico.

Resultados:: 51 pacientes se encontraban en el estadio I de la enfermedad, 13 mujeres en el estadio II, 36 mujeres en el estadio III. El tipo histológico más común fue el carcinoma ductal in situ (38%), seguido del carcinoma invasivo (33%). Los síntomas oncológicos más prevalentes fueron dolor (67%), fatiga (63%), preocupaciones (62%), trastornos del sueño (57%), constituyendo un cluster de síntomas neuropsicológicos.

Conclusiones:: el cluster de síntomas neuropsicológicos (dolor-fatiga-preocupaciones-alteración del sueño) fue el más prevalente en mujeres hospitalizadas con cáncer de mama no metastásico.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Dendrogram of cancer symptom clusters in hospitalized women with non-metastatic breast cancer, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil, 2023
Figura 1
Figura 1. Dendrograma dos clusters de sintomas oncológicos em mulheres com câncer de mama não metastático hospitalizadas, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brasil, 2023
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Siegel RL, Miller KD, Wagle NS, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2023. CA Cancer J Clin. 2023;73(1):17–48. doi: 10.3322/caac.21763. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, Laversanne M, Soerjomataram I, Jemal A, et al. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2021;71(3):209–249. doi: 10.3322/caac.21660. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Instituto Nacional de Câncer (INCA) Estimativa 2023: incidência de câncer no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: INCA; 2022. [cited 2023 Aug 1]. [Internet] Available from: https://www.inca.gov.br/sites/ufu.sti.inca.local/files//media/document//... .
    1. Abrahão CA, Bomfim E, Lopes-Júnior LC, Pereira-da-Silva G. Complementary therapies as a strategy to reduce stress and stimulate immunity of women with breast cancer. J Evid Based Integr Med. 2019;24:2515690X19834169. doi: 10.1177/2515690X19834169. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lopes-Júnior LC, Rosa GS, Pessanha RM, Schuab SIPC, Nunes KZ, Amorim MHC. Efficacy of the complementary therapies in the management of cancer pain in palliative care: a systematic review. Rev Latino-Am Enfermagem. 2020;28:e3377. doi: 10.1590/1518-8345.4213.3377. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types