Course of fatigue in women receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for early stage breast cancer

Abstract

Although much has been learned about the complication of fatigue during breast cancer treatment, the possibility that there are differences across treatment modalities in breast cancer patients' experience of fatigue has not yet been established. In this study, fatigue was assessed in 134 women receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy or radiotherapy only for early stage breast cancer. Comparisons of fatigue during initial treatment indicated that women who received chemotherapy reported greater fatigue severity and disruptiveness than women receiving radiotherapy. Women not pre-treated with chemotherapy experienced increased fatigue over the course of radiotherapy. Results confirmed predictions that fatigue in women with early stage breast cancer differs as a function of the type of treatment and sequencing of treatment. Findings indicating increases in fatigue during radiotherapy only among women not pretreated with chemotherapy suggest a response shift, or a change in internal standards, in women's perceptions of fatigue as a function of prior chemotherapy treatment.

Cognitive functioning after adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for early‐stage breast carcinoma

“…12,13 Eligibility was determined by chart review and consultation with the attending physician. Eligible patients were recruited and informed consent was obtained during an outpatient clinic visit following their surgical procedure but before the initiation of chemotherapy (CTϩRT group) or radiotherapy (RT group).…”

Fatigue in Gynecological Cancer Patients During and After Anticancer Treatment

“…In this longitudinal survey demographic variables and factors associated with the tumour and anti-cancer treatment were unrelated to the fatigue. A large body of evidence exists to support the finding that CRF during anti-cancer treatment is not associated with tumour stage (12,22,23,46,51,56,60,(68)(69)(70) or any demographic (12,22,23,34,49,55,56,60,62,64,(66)(67)(68)(69)(70)(71) or treatment-related variables (12,22,23,46,51,53,55,60,64,(68)(69)(70)(71)(72). In contrast, two studies have reported that females experience more fatigue then males (62,73), three have demonstrated an association between increasing age and lower fatigue (12,34,53), one between marital status and fatigue, with divorced women experiencing the most fatigue …”

Assessment of Cancer-Related Fatigue: Implications for Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment

“…However, the test-retest reliability of this scale is weak, perhaps because of the relatively long recall period. The FSI has mainly been used in studies examining the effect of chemotherapy for breast cancer [51][52][53][54][55][56]. These studies have shown that the majority of patients with breast cancer who receive chemotherapy are likely to experience some degree of CRF.…”