The Assessment of Fatigue and its Related Factors in Patients with Cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer is a major health issue in Iran and in the rest of the world. Fatigue is one of the most complex and the most prevalent cancer-related problems that can affect various aspects of life for cancer patients. It can cause numerous problems. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the level of fatigue and its associated factors in patients with cancer. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 90 cancer patients referred to the oncology department in one of the teaching hospitals were assessed. The data collection tool was a questionnaire based on demographic information and the fatigue severity scale (FSS). This questionnaire consisted of nine questions with a numeric scale for answers ranging from 0 to 7. A score of 7 indicates the highest level of fatigue and 1 indicates no fatigue. The patients with above-average scores were considered to have fatigue and those with lower scores were considered to have no fatigue. To analyse the data, descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, and logistic regression) were used. Results: The mean age of the patients was 52.1 ± 14.4 years. The majority of the subjects were women (58.9%), married (91.1%), and with an educational level below diploma (40%). The average score of fatigue was 5.8 ± 0.54 out of 7. The results of the logistic regression model showed that the factors influencing cancer-related fatigue were the variable of unemployment (p =0.034, β= 1.1) and haemoglobin levels (p=0.049, β= 0.33). Conclusion:The results showed that in addition to providing physical care and nursing interventions, it is important to consider demographic factors and psychological interventions for the comprehensive management of problems in cancer patients, particularly fatigue.

Prevalence of Fatigue and Associated Factors Among Cancer Patients Attending Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“… 10 , 12 This study indicated that a higher stage of cancer shows high scores of fatigue, which is comparable with meta-analysis conducted in women breast cancer survivors with stage III cancer and treated with chemotherapy who were at a higher risk for severe fatigue than survivors with stage I cancer. 31 The present study showed the prevalence of fatigue among types of cancer such as cervical and breast cancer is consistent with the study result reported in India that the most prevalent fatigue was cervical cancer (28.6%), followed by breast cancer. 32 Clinical factors like infection have been seen as causative elements in fatigue and that was identified in this study and it is consistent with the study results reported from the Netherlands of increased risk for severe fatigue following cancer treatment.…”

“…This study showed that fatigue in patients who had received radiation therapy is similar to the prevalence of fatigue among patients receiving radiotherapy reported in the UK but lower than the result found in Rasht teaching hospital. 31 …”

Fatigue and Its Related Factors Among Iranian Cancer Survivors

“…In some other studies, the prevalence of fatigue in patients undergoing treatment was equivalent to our study. 8 , 9 The differences between the results of fatigue rate in these studies and the current study may be due to cultural differences. While our study was conducted in Tabriz with a Turkish culture, the studies by Sharifi Rizi et al, 8 and Zeighami Mohammadi et al, 9 had been conducted in Isfahan and Tehran, respectively, with a Persian culture.…”

“… 5 - 7 In a study by Sharifi Rizi et al, 59% of cancer patients under treatment reported significant levels of fatigue. 8 Another study by Zeighami Mohammadi et al, reported that 95% of Iranian cancer patients suffer from fatigue. 9 CRF is a distressing, persistent, and subjective sense of physical, emotional, and/or cognitive tiredness related to cancer or cancer treatment, that is not proportional to recent physical activity and interferes with the patient’s functioning.…”

The Effect of the Combined Intervention of Low-Intensity Exercise and Slow Stroke Back Massage (SSBM) on Physical Activity and Severity of Fatigue in the Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

“…Inclusion criteria were the patients aged 18 -65 years, men and women with various types of cancer (22) undergoing routine periodic chemotherapy, the absence of skeletal and muscular problems and anomalies, lack of a history of cardiovascular diseases (23), lack of exercise during the study period (22,24), spending at least one course of chemotherapy for each patient before the study (22,25), ability to perform the basic and daily activities (26), total white blood cell (WBC) count of above 3,000 in each session of complete blood count, the platelet count of above 50,000, and hemoglobin level of above 8g/dL (27), normal vital signs in each period, the lack of chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the same time, patients residing in Ahvaz and its suburbs. Exclusion criteria were transferring the patient to the ICU ward and holding the chemotherapy, transferring the patient to another treatment center to continue treatment, and the patient's death.…”