Table 1.
Prevalence of Bothersomea Somatic Symptoms Over 12 Months in Cancer Patients with Pain and/or Depression*
| Somatic Symptom | Any Symptom (%) | Major Symptom (%) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 mo | 1 mo | 3 mo | 6 mo | 12 mo | 0 mo | 1 mo | 3 mo | 6 mo | 12 mo | |
| Feeling tired or having low energy | 97.5 | 92.7 | 89.8 | 91.5 | 90.0 | 78.8 | 69.5 | 65.7 | 62.2 | 56.9 |
| Trouble falling or staying asleep | 78.8 | 72.0 | 71.9 | 66.8 | 74.7 | 56.3 | 47.2 | 43.9 | 42.4 | 48.7 |
| Pain in arms, legs, or joints | 78.0 | 72.8 | 77.0 | 82.2 | 81.4 | 57.0 | 50.3 | 51.0 | 55.9 | 55.0 |
| Back pain | 74.8 | 74.3 | 73.4 | 78.0 | 78.8 | 47.4 | 48.3 | 45.1 | 47.7 | 50.9 |
| Problems with remembering things | 72.1 | 63.0 | 67.2 | 69.4 | 72.5 | 34.6 | 31.1 | 29.9 | 32.9 | 30.9 |
| Having a dry mouth | 69.9 | 66.9 | 69.9 | 67.4 | 67.7 | 44.0 | 42.1 | 43.3 | 44.7 | 41.6 |
| Shortness of breath | 64.7 | 56.8 | 60.0 | 57.6 | 60.6 | 32.8 | 23.7 | 28.4 | 22.7 | 23.8 |
| Gas or indigestion | 60.7 | 55.9 | 57.3 | 60.2 | 58.4 | 28.6 | 27.7 | 26.0 | 26.3 | 24.2 |
| Feeling drowsy/sleeping too much | 60.7 | 55.4 | 51.3 | 50.7 | 52.4 | 32.8 | 28.8 | 27.5 | 24.7 | 20.4 |
| Numbness or tingling | 59.8 | 57.9 | 52.8 | 57.6 | 58.7 | 29.4 | 27.4 | 29.3 | 28.0 | 29.0 |
| Lack of appetite | 56.5 | 51.1 | 48.1 | 41.5 | 41.3 | 30.4 | 26.0 | 20.0 | 16.1 | 19.0 |
| Headaches | 56.5 | 53.7 | 52.2 | 51.3 | 53.2 | 20.2 | 16.1 | 17.6 | 16.8 | 16.7 |
| Dizziness | 55.6 | 49.7 | 50.7 | 44.4 | 47.6 | 16.3 | 12.4 | 12.2 | 14.1 | 11.2 |
| Stomach pain | 54.6 | 52.8 | 49.0 | 49.3 | 50.2 | 24.0 | 20.9 | 22.1 | 23.7 | 16.7 |
| Nausea | 51.4 | 47.5 | 43.9 | 40.5 | 42.4 | 18.5 | 17.8 | 13.7 | 13.8 | 11.2 |
| Constipation | 47.4 | 47.5 | 48.4 | 44.4 | 42.0 | 23.7 | 24.3 | 18.2 | 21.1 | 16.0 |
| Feeling heart pound or race | 44.9 | 39.6 | 38.2 | 36.5 | 43.9 | 12.3 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 10.2 | 8.9 |
| Diarrhea or loose bowels | 43.2 | 39.8 | 39.7 | 41.8 | 42.4 | 18.8 | 14.7 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 15.6 |
| Chest pain | 34.1 | 31.9 | 33.7 | 29.0 | 31.6 | 12.1 | 9.3 | 8.4 | 10.5 | 7.1 |
| Vomiting | 26.7 | 27.7 | 23.6 | 21.1 | 26.4 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 6.6 | 5.9 | 5.2 |
| Menstrual cramps or problemsb | 9.5 | 8.4 | 7.0 | 12.3 | 24.0 | 6.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 7.6 | 10.0 |
| Fainting spells | 6.9 | 5.4 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.9 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
a
Number of patients assessed at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months was 405, 354, 335, 304, and 269, respectively. Any symptom includes reporting being “bothered a little” or “bothered a lot”, and major symptom includes only those reporting being “bothered a lot”
b
Menstrual symptoms were elicited only from women ≤ 50 y/o (n = 168, 155, 129, 106, and 50 at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 12 mo., respectively)