Fatigue and physical activity in cancer survivors: A cross‐sectional population‐based study

Abstract

Purpose A substantial proportion of cancer survivors experience fatigue after diagnosis. Physical activity (PA) can impact fatigue after cancer. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence and association of fatigue and the practice of PA in a population with early cancer. Methods Using the national population‐based French cross‐sectional study Vie après le cancer 2 , we included 1984 patients with early breast (61.1%), prostate (21.5%), and colorectal (17.4%) cancer. Severe fatigue at 2 years postdiagnosis was defined by a score ≥40 in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ C30) fatigue subscale. PA was defined as (a) self‐reported PA before diagnosis (active/inactive) and (b) change in PA since diagnosis (increased/maintained exposure vs decreased exposure/remaining inactive). Multivariate regression examined associations of severe fatigue with PA, adjusting for baseline clinical and treatment variables. Results Median age was 52 years. 51.5% of patients experienced severe fatigue 2 years post‐diagnosis. 87.7% reported to be physically active before cancer diagnosis; 53.3% of patients either decreased PA or remained inactive at 2 years postdiagnosis. At 2 years postdiagnosis, severe fatigue was associated with a change in PA since diagnosis: patients with decreasing PA/remaining inactive from pre‐ to postdiagnosis had a higher risk of severe fatigue vs those with increasing/maintaining PA (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 2.32 [1.85‐2.90]). Conclusion Fatigue continues to be a substantial problem for cancer survivors 2 years after cancer diagnosis and is associated with PA decreasing/remaining inactive since diagnosis. Interventions to maintain or increase PA for cancer survivors should be tested to mitigate long‐term fatigue after cancer.

Physical activity and long-term fatigue among colorectal cancer survivors – a population-based prospective study

“…Our study found no beneficial effects of pre-diagnosis PA on long-term fatigue. This is in in line with a French study [19] which also used the EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue subscale. That study, which included CRC survivors, also did not find an association between pre-diagnosis PA and fatigue in cancer patients 2 years after diagnosis.…”

“…Although one study [19] investigated the association of pre-diagnosis PA and fatigue 2 years after diagnosis so far, no study has investigated associations of pre-as well as post-diagnosis PA with fatigue specifically in longterm (≥5 years post-diagnosis) CRC survivors. Moreover, the available evidence regarding the association between PA and fatigue among CRC survivors is mainly based on studies with a cross-sectional design [15][16][17][18].…”

Cancer-Related Fatigue: Causes and Current Treatment Options

“…Sixty percent of survivors of breast cancer reported moderate-to-severe tiredness 12 months after diagnosis [ 24 ]. Between 21% and 52% of survivors still experience severe CRF up to 3 years post-diagnosis [ 18 , 25 , 26 ].…”

Quality of life in long-term survivors of advanced melanoma treated with checkpoint inhibitors

“…Our results are consistent with robust evidence Open access that fatigue is a common problem across populations of cancer survivors with prevalence as high as 40% and is the most common adverse event in patients on CIs. [15][16][17][18][19] Findings regarding fatigue in melanoma survivors are mixed.…”