How Do Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Cancer Manage Their Chemotherapy-Related Symptoms at Home?

Abstract

Chemotherapy can cause many distressing side effects, potentially impacting treatment completion and quality of life in adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer. To identify ways to help mitigate chemotherapy-related symptoms, we sought to elicit barriers and facilitators to managing symptoms experienced by AYAs with cancer through interviews. Qualitative thematic analysis identified three main domains: (1) managing chemotherapy symptoms (e.g., medication, home remedies), (2) anticipating and mitigating symptoms (e.g., management of symptoms at home, anticipatory guidance), and (3) knowing when to seek care (e.g., unexpected and unusual symptoms). This study elucidated that AYAs can successfully manage symptoms at home when given the proper guidance and this could be a focus of future efforts to improve outcomes in this population. The Clinical Trial Registration number is NCT04594096.