Purpose

After esophagectomy, patients experience a series of problems that severely affect their quality of life. Understanding their unmet needs could help medical staff provide better supportive care. The aim of this study was to investigate the supportive care needs of discharged patients with esophageal cancer after esophagectomy and explore the factors associated with these needs.

Method

A total of 167 discharged patients with esophageal cancer after esophagectomy were recruited from a University Cancer Center in China and investigated using a self-designed demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, the 34-item Supportive Care Needs Survey, and the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory Gastrointestinal Cancer Module.

Results

Approximately 95.2% of the patients had ≥1 unmet need(s). The overall level of supportive care needs of patients after esophagectomy was mild to medium. Most of the top 10 moderate-to-severe unmet needs were identified in the health and information domains. Age (β = −0.157, p = 0.011), dysphagia (β = −0.178, p = 0.005), recurrence (β = 0.175, p = 0.005), time since diagnosis (β = −0.150, p = 0.018), and symptom interference (β = 0.488, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with supportive care needs.

Conclusions

Discharged patients with esophageal cancer after esophagectomy had a wide range of unmet supportive care needs. It is essential to combine the associated factors to accurately evaluate patient needs. We should pay more attention to propose comprehensive measures for these patients and provide more individualized supportive care during the lengthy recovery period.