Age-related differences in the occurrence, severity, and distress of symptoms in older patients at the initiation of chemotherapy.

Background: Evaluate for differences in occurrence, severity, and distress ratings for 32 symptoms between younger older adults (YOA, < 70 years) and older adults (OA, ≥ 70 years) at initiation of chemotherapy.

Methods: Patients (n = 125) were recruited prior to the initiation of chemotherapy and completed the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale. Differences in occurrence, severity, and distress ratings were evaluated using Independent sample t-tests and Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests.

Symptom experience of older oncology patients with low versus high levels of multimorbidity prior to chemotherapy.

Purpose: Evaluate for differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between older oncology patients with low multimorbidity (<2 multimorbidities) and high multimorbidity (≥2 multimorbidities) and evaluate for differences in symptom occurrence, severity, and distress ratings between the two groups.

Methods: Symptoms of older oncology patients (n = 125) were assessed using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale prior to chemotherapy administration. Data were analyzed using t-tests for continuous variables and Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables.