Cancer‐related fatigue in teenage and young adult cancer patients: Clinicians' perspectives, practice and challenges

Abstract

CRF causes significant impairments to TYAs' quality of life (Bower, 2014; Poort et al., 2017) and may predict shorter survival (Quinten et al., 2011). TYAs have to navigate a number of developmental tasks towards establishing adulthood, including completing education, beginning employment, establishing and maintaining social and romantic relationships, increasing independence and transitioning away from family homes, greater financial self-sufficiency and increased responsibility (Warner et al., 2016; Zebrack, 2011).

Adolescent Cancer Survivors and Their Parents’ Experiences With the Transition Off Treatment to Survivorship: A Qualitative Interview Study

“…The adolescents’ perception of being at higher risk from COVID-19 than their healthy peers and thereby more anxious is consistent with other studies on CCSs (Hou et al, 2022; Wimberly et al, 2021). A novel finding was how the family consciously used resources and knowledge they had attained during the cancer treatment (e.g., on infection prevention, isolation routines, and online skills), making them better equipped to be proactive in navigating the demands of the pandemic.…”

“…However, they experienced a gap between their needs and the level of support provided by the HCP. This might be explained by findings that clinicians do not always know what to recommend regarding fatigue management, as the evidence base for effective treatments is limited (Pearson et al, 2015;Willmott et al, 2021). Our results show that many families managed the adolescent's fatigue by reducing their activity levels.…”

Describing Unmet Supportive Care Needs among Young Adults with Cancer (25–39 Years) and the Relationship with Health-Related Quality of Life, Psychological Distress, and Illness Cognitions

“…For example, ‘changes to daily routine and lifestyle’ may occur regardless of professional support due to cognitive or functional changes. Another example is ‘fatigue’, where there is uncertainty around effective interventions for YAs [ 35 ]. Addressing these issues will rely on reducing the initial impact of cancer and its treatment by finding kinder treatments and improving early diagnosis.…”