Effect of palliative care based on symptom management theory on quality of life in advanced colorectal cancer patients with sarcopenia

ZHANG Yu; XUE Ling; XU Wenjing

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1002-7386.2025.09.018

Abstract：Objective To analyze the effect of palliative care(PC)based on symptom management theory(SMT)in advanced colorectal cancer patients with sarcopenia and its influence on their quality of life.Methods A total of 96 advanced colorectal cancer patients with sarcopenia admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University from June 2022 to December 2023 were randomized 1∶1 to receive conventional care(the control group)or conventional care+PC based on SMT(the observation group).The relevant symptoms,nutritional status,psychological state and quality of life of the two groups were compared before and after intervention.Results After one month of intervention,the observation group presented significantly decreased scores of Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale(GSRS),the simple five-item scoring questionnaire(SARC-F)combined with calf circumference(SARC-CalF),visual analogue scale(VAS)and revised Piper Fatigue Scale(PFS),increased levels of albumin(ALB),prealbumin(PAB),transferrin(TF)and hemoglobin(Hb),decreased subscales of depression,anxiety and stress of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21(DASS-21),increased functional dimension score of Colorectal Cancer-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire(QLQ-CR38),and decreased symptom dimension score of QLQ-CR38 than the control group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion For advanced colorectal cancer patients with sarcopenia,PC based on SMT has a good application effect,which can effectively reduce gastrointestinal discomfort symptoms,severity of sarcopenia,cancer pain symptoms and cancer-related fatigue symptoms,improve nutritional status,stabilize psychological state,and thus improve the quality of life.