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Learning Objective 1: To examine relationships of levels of serum cytokines and levels of symptom severity and levels of serum cytokines and levels of symptom clusters.
Learning Objective 2: To identify roles for levels of cytokines change and symptoms relief of lung cancer patients at 1, 3 and 6 months after receiving Gefitnib treatment.
Prior studies suggested that many symptoms are correlated with each other and called a symptom cluster. The underlying biologic mechanisms related to symptoms interrelated to symptoms are still unknown. The cytokine-induced sickness behavior that occurs in animals has much in common with the symptoms experienced by cancer patients. It is likely that symptoms may have natural associations with each other that reflect the underlying cytokines’ mechanisms, yet descriptive studies of the symptoms of lung cancer patients are far from comprehensive. Gefitinib (ZD 1839) is an orally active agent for patients with non-small cell lung cancer and was associated with disease stabilization and amelioration of cancer-related symptoms. The role for cytokines in symptoms relief after Gefitinib treatment remains unknown. The purpose of this study were (1).to investigate level of symptom distress and level of cytokines in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients at pre-treatment, and 1, 3, and 6 months after receiving Gefitnib treatment; (2).to analysis the relationship between single symptoms/symptom clusters and cytokines in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients at pre-treatment, and 1, 3, and 6 months after receiving Gefitnib treatment.
Methods:
Included the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Taiwan form and ELISA. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and GEE analysis.
Results:
Results showed a positive correlation between nausea, drowsy, lack of appetite, sum of symptom severity, and symptom cluster two and IL-2; positive correlation between IL-6 and sadness, lack of appetite, nausea, and pain; positive correlation between IL-10 and fatigue, lack of appetite, drowsy, sadness, sum of symptom severity and symptom cluster one, and positive correlation between IL-12 and lack of appetite and nausea. There was a negative correlation between TNF-α and lack of appetite.
Conclusion:
These results may provide a touchstone for understand the possible mechanisms of symptom distress in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.