GI symptoms in OC.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Gastro intestinal symptoms in women following primary or subsequent treatment for ovarian cancer: A qualitative study.
IRAS ID
139088
Contact name
Elizabeth Anne Lanceley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Ovarian cancer (OC) has poor outcomes as most patients (>70%) have late stage disease (III/IV) and poor prognosis (<30% 5-year survival). Symptom burden is high and women often do not receive appropriate timely advice or help with troublesome symptoms. Gastro intestinal (GI) symptoms are common including dyspepsia, nausea, early satiety, vomiting, altered bowel habit, abdominal bloating and swelling, and varying degrees of bowel obstruction with associated pain.
Most research of GI symptom relief in OC has focused on the medical management of bowel obstruction. The nature, prevalence, effects on quality of life, and interventions for GI symptom relief have been relatively understudied. Also recent research suggests that understanding of the co-occurrence of GI symptoms in clusters may provide additional opportunities for symptom relief. This has not been studied in the OC population.
Accurate assessment and diagnosis is a crucial first step to symptom management and this study will therefore develop a GI symptom index for OC, and model(s) of symptom clusters. The study will detail patients’ experience of GI symptoms through one-to-one interviews with a purposive sample of 15-20 patients at different stages and at different points in the cancer trajectory. Results from the interviews and the literature will inform the development of a GI symptom index and symptom cluster model(s). These will be refined by an expert consensus group of health care professionals and voluntary sector user representatives for testing in a subsequent study in a large group of OC patients.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1900
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jan 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion