Determination of Symptom Frequency and Symptom Clusters in Cancer Patients in Palliative Care

zObjective: To determine the frequency of symptoms and symptom clusters experienced by patients with cancer receiving palliative care services. Methods:This cross-sectional study included 187 patients with cancer who were hospitalized in the palliative care service between March 10, 2017 and October 30, 2018.The data were collected by the researcher face-to-face using the patient identification form, memorial symptom rating scale, and Karnofsky performance scale.The research data were analyzed using SPSS software.Results: Cluster analysis identified 2 symptom clusters.The first symptom cluster included physical symptoms and psychogenic symptoms related to cancer diagnosis and treatment, while the second symptom cluster mainly included nutritional (gastrointesinal system related) and genitourinary system-related problems. Conclusion:Further studies are recommended for effective symptom management according to the type of cancer and for developing detailed symptom clusters.