Effect of Self-Management Guidelines on Chemotherapy Associated Symptoms among Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients

Abstract

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most commonly occurring hematologic cancers among adults, in which malignancies of the lymphocytes are occurred, and caused painless lymphadenopathy manifestations that may be localized or widespread (Newton, Hickey & Jackowski, 2016). The most common treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma is chemotherapy. It can destroy many lymphoma cells as possible. On the other hand it causes many side effects that are troubling for many NHL patients. The most common associated symptoms and side effects caused by chemotherapy are fatigue, hair loss, bleeding, infection, anemia, nausea and vomiting, mouth sores, constipation, diarrhea, numbness, and pain (Yarbro, Wujcik & Gobel, 2016). Fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and oral mucositis that are considered associated symptoms of chemotherapy are still causing a significant physical, psychological, and social burden on NHL patients and affect patient`s quality of life. As well as these three symptoms are considered the most common associated symptoms occurred during chemotherapy treatment (Itano, Brant, Conde & Saria, 2015).