Patient Preference and Adherence
Retrospective Patient Perspectives on Symptom Burden, Emotional Experiences, and Unmet Needs in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Qualitative Study
By Weiwei Zuo, Yuanyuan Wang, Li Wang and 4 others.
Abstract
Objective
To explore how adults with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) retrospectively described physical symptoms, emotional experiences, and unmet supportive care needs across diagnosis, active treatment, and home recovery in a Chinese tertiary-care setting.
Methods
This retrospective, cross-sectional qualitative descriptive study followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. A purposive sample of 13 patients with pathologically confirmed NPC (7 men and 6 women; aged 28– 64 years) was recruited from a tertiary hospital in central China between April and May 2026. Each participant completed one semi-structured, face-to-face interview lasting 30– 45 minutes and recalled experiences across diagnosis, active treatment, and home recovery. Recruitment continued until three consecutive interviews yielded no new codes, subthemes, or contextual information. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step procedure with NVivo 15.0. The themes were organized in a Patient Journey Map informed by Corbin and Strauss’s Chronic Illness Trajectory Framework.