Clinical Report: Identifying Symptom Patterns in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Overview

This study identifies symptom clusters and sentinel symptoms in colorectal cancer patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. It highlights the progressive increase in symptom burden and the evolution of symptom cluster structures over the treatment course.

Background

Post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy is essential for colorectal cancer management, yet it often leads to significant side effects that can impair quality of life. Understanding symptom patterns can aid in managing these side effects. This study provides insights into the dynamics of symptom clusters during chemotherapy.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• Symptom burden increased from an average of 8.32 symptoms at T1 to 13.3 at T3.
• Fatigue, decreased appetite, and disturbed sleep were the most prevalent symptoms, reaching 96.7% by T3.
• Symptom clusters evolved from three at T1 to four at T2 and T3, with a new fatigue-pain cluster emerging.
• All symptom severities significantly increased over time (P<0.001), with fatigue and constipation showing the most pronounced progression.
• Seven sentinel symptoms were identified across the three time points.

Clinical Implications

Monitoring sentinel symptoms may inform symptom management strategies for colorectal cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Conclusion

This study highlights the dynamic changes in symptom burden and cluster structures in colorectal cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy.

Related Resources & Content

1. Frontiers in Oncology, 2026 -- A network analysis of symptom clusters and core symptoms in colorectal cancer patients undergoing postoperative chemotherapy
2. ADA News, 2014 -- Many Patients With Colorectal Cancer Fail to Receive Adjuvant Chemotherapy
3. International Journal of Colorectal Disease, 2026 -- Assessing the role of CT imaging in identifying candidates for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in right colon cancer: a critical analysis
4. Analysis of Survival Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Patients Following Chemotherapy: Insights from the SEER Database
5. https://crain-platform-precisiononcologynews-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2025-04/NCCN%20colon%20DPYD%20update%20033125.pdf
6. Effect of duration of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with stage III colon cancer (IDEA collaboration): final results from a prospective, pooled analysis of six randomised, phase 3 trials - PMC
7. Adjuvant Therapy for Stage II Colon Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update | Journal of Clinical Oncology
8. Randomized trial of standard chemotherapy alone or combined with atezolizumab as adjuvant therapy for patients with stage III deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) colon cancer (Alliance A021502; ATOMIC). | Journal of Clinical Oncology
9. Postsurgical ctDNA Testing in Stage III Colon Cancer for Treatment De-escalation - The ASCO Post
10. Motor disorders related to oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy: long-term severity and impact on quality of life
11. Prevention and Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Survivors of Adult Cancers: ASCO Guideline Update | Journal of Clinical Oncology
12. Adverse drug events associated with capecitabine: a real-world pharmacovigilance study based on the FAERS database - Rongqiang Liu, Yukai Chen, Shi-Nan Wu, Wangbin Ma, Zhendong Qiu, Jianguo Wang, Ximing Xu, Chen Chen, Weixing Wang, 2024
13. NCI- PRO-CTCAE® ITEMS-ENGLISH (UNIVERSAL)
14. Symptom monitoring with electronic patient-reported outcomes during cancer treatment: final results of the PRO-TECT cluster-randomized trial - PubMed
15. Core symptoms in patients with colorectal cancer receiving chemotherapy: a network analysis - PubMed
16. Trajectories of Symptom Clusters and Their Predictive Factors in Patients With Colorectal Cancer 3 Months After Surgery: A Longitudinal Study - PubMed
17. Longitudinal Patterns of Symptoms in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Secondary Analysis of a Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial - PMC