Symptom Clusters in Brazilian Women With Stage I and Stage III Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study

    January 2026 in “ The Breast Journal ”
    Luís Carlos Lopes-Júnior, Etreo Junior Carneiro da Silva Minarini, Raphael Manhães Pessanha, Luiz Cláudio Barreto Silva Neto, Naira Santos D’Agostini, Jonathan Grassi, Karla Anacleto Vasconcellos, Roberto Júnio Gomes Silva, Leticia Batista de Azevedo, Lívia Machado Giacomin, Oscar Geovanny Enríquez Martínez, Wesley Rocha Grippa
    TLDR Understanding specific symptoms in different cancer stages can improve personalized care and quality of life.
    This study examined symptom clusters in 87 Brazilian women with Stage I and Stage III nonmetastatic breast cancer, using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale. Stage I patients frequently experienced pain, worrying, difficulty sleeping, and fatigue, while Stage III patients reported pain, fatigue, worrying, and dry mouth. Stage I patients had higher prevalence of difficulty concentrating, shortness of breath, feeling sad, and hair loss compared to Stage III. Four symptom clusters were identified for each stage, highlighting the heterogeneity of symptom experiences. These findings suggest that understanding stage-specific symptom patterns can lead to more personalized supportive care strategies, potentially improving quality of life and clinical outcomes.
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