Symptoms experienced after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in patients with primary liver cancer: A network analysis.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to establish a symptom network for patients with primary liver cancer posttranscatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), identifying core and bridge symptoms. The goal is to provide a foundation for precise and comprehensive nursing interventions.

METHODS

A total of 1207 post-TACE patients were included using a consecutive sampling method. Data collection involved a general information questionnaire, the Anderson Symptom Assessment Scale, and a primary liver cancer-specific symptom module. The symptom network was constructed using the R language.

RESULTS

In the overall network, distress exhibited the highest strength ( = 1.31) and betweenness ( = 62). Fatigue had the greatest closeness ( = 0.0043), while nausea and vomiting ( = 0.76 ± 0.02) had the highest marginal weights. Nausea had the highest bridge strength ( = 5.263). In the first-time TACE-treated symptom network, sadness ( = 5.673) showed the highest bridge strength, whereas in the non-first-time symptom network, fever ( = 3.061) had the highest bridge strength.

CONCLUSIONS

Distress serves as a core symptom, and nausea acts as a bridge symptom after TACE treatment in liver cancer patients. Interventions targeting bridge symptoms should be tailored based on the number of treatments, enhancing the quality of symptom management.