Treating Fatigue in Cancer Patients

Berger, Ann

doi:10.1634/theoncologist.8-suppl_1-10

Cited by 57 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(10 reference statements)

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“…29 Mild physical exercise, sleep hygiene, and attention-restoring activities have been suggested to reduce severity of fatigue in cancer patients. [30][31][32] In addition, prescription of psychostimulants and erythropoietin or transfusion of red blood cells have been proposed, but evidence on their effectiveness to improve fatigue and QOL is limited. [30][31][32][33] In addition to fatigue, chronic pain after mastectomy or lumpectomy with axillary node dissection, which is reported by about 20% to 30% of all women, has been found to interfere with both occupational and domestic activities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[30][31][32] In addition, prescription of psychostimulants and erythropoietin or transfusion of red blood cells have been proposed, but evidence on their effectiveness to improve fatigue and QOL is limited. [30][31][32][33] In addition to fatigue, chronic pain after mastectomy or lumpectomy with axillary node dissection, which is reported by about 20% to 30% of all women, has been found to interfere with both occupational and domestic activities. 34 Similarly, more than onethird of all patients with conventional axillary dissection after breast cancer surgery suffer persistent arm problems, which may substantially affect QOL.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A population‐based study of the impact of specific symptoms on quality of life in women with breast cancer 1 year after diagnosis

Arndt

Stegmaier

Ziegler

et al. 2006

Cancer

148

103

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BACKGROUND.Whereas the role of specific symptoms, such as pain and fatigue, for quality of life (QOL) is unquestioned, their relative importance for long‐lasting impairments in QOL in cancer patients has rarely been assessed quantitatively. The authors, therefore, aimed to identify symptoms most predictive of limitations to function and overall QOL in women with breast cancer after completion of primary therapy.METHODS.The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer questionnaire QLQ‐C30 and the breast–cancer‐specific module QLQ‐BR23 were used to measure QOL in a population‐based sample from Saarland (Germany) of 314 women with breast cancer 1 year after diagnosis. Symptoms most predictive for limitations to function and overall QOL were identified with a multiple linear regression analysis.RESULTS.Fatigue emerged as the strongest predictor by far of QOL, explaining around 30% to 50% of variability within function scores and overall QOL. Other symptoms, including pain, nausea and/or vomiting, breast symptoms, systemic therapy side effects, and arm symptoms, explained on average <5% of variability of various QOL scales beyond fatigue and age. Sociodemographic and clinical factors had little impact on QOL.CONCLUSIONS.Although QOL is a multidimensional concept, the analysis suggested that fatigue is the symptom that had, by far, the largest impact on limiting function and on overall QOL in breast cancer patients after their completion of primary therapy. Specific interventions to reduce the burden of fatigue may represent a particularly worthwhile effort to improve QOL in women with breast cancer. Cancer 2006. © 2006 AmericanCancer Society.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A population‐based study of the impact of specific symptoms on quality of life in women with breast cancer 1 year after diagnosis

Arndt

Stegmaier

Ziegler

et al. 2006

Cancer

148

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Psychostimulants such as methylphenidate might also be used in selected patients to relieve life-limiting fatigue [33][34][35][36], which is common in elderly patients with gliomas undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Again, such treatment must also be initiated at a low dosage and escalated gradually.…”

Section: Symptomatic Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of Elderly Patients With Gliomas

Pérez-Larraya

Delattre

2014

The Oncologist

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The current progressive aging of the population is resulting in a continuous increase in the incidence of gliomas in elderly people, especially the most frequent subtype, glioblastoma (GBM). This sociohealth shift, known as the "silver tsunami," has prompted the neuro-oncology community to investigate the role of specific antitumor treatments, such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and other targeted therapies, for these traditionally undertreated patients. Advanced age, a widely recognized poor prognostic factor in both low-grade glioma (LGG) and high-grade glioma patients, should no longer be the sole reason for excluding such older patients from receiving etiologic treatments. Far from it, results from recent prospective trials conducted on elderly patients with GBM demonstrate that active management of these patients can have a positive impact on survival without impairing either cognition or quality of life. Although prospective studies specifically addressing the management of grade 2 and 3 gliomas are lacking and thus needed, the aforementioned tendency toward acknowledging a therapeutic benefit for GBM patients might also apply to the treatment of patients with LGG and anaplastic gliomas. Inorder tooptimize such etiologic treatment in conjunction with symptomatic management, neuro-oncology multidisciplinary boards must individually consider important features such as resectability of the tumor, functional and cognitive status, associated comorbidities, and social support.

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“…Healthcare professionals frequently recommend rest and sleep for the management of CRF [168]. One approach that is recommended for the management of sleep disorders is improved sleep hygiene [170]. The rationale behind this approach is that the often self-perpetuating nature of sleep problems means they can be a continuing cause of fatigue.…”

Section: Sleep Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%