Cancer Related Fatigue: A Focus on Breast Cancer Patients Under Chemotherapy

Introduction: Fatigue is a common and frequently disabling symptom in cancer patients and cancer survivors. Fatigue may be caused by the disease itself, by treatment for the disease, by physical symptoms or conditions resulting from the disease or its treatment. The aim of this study was to assess fatigue and related factors in breast cancer patients. Material & Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 119 random samples of breast cancer patients. The Iranian version of QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires were used. Univariate methods and multiple regression analysis were performed to identify predictors of fatigue. Results: Overall, 78% of the patients indicated that they were experiencing fatigue to some degree. The mean score on the fatigue subscale was 41.74±26.91. Of all functional subscales, fatigue showed the strongest influence on social functioning. Linear regression analyses showed that total fatigue was best predicted by pain, appetite loss, body image and type of treatment. Conclusion: Our results support the notion that fatigue in cancer patients is a major problem, which deserves yet more attention from health professionals, and that quality of life in cancer patients might be improved markedly by interventions that effectively reduce fatigue.