Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Supportive Care in Cancer
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer 8/2005

01-08-2005 | Original Article

Occurrence of fatigue and associated factors in disease-free breast cancer patients without depression

Authors: Yuriko Sugawara, Tatsuo Akechi, Toru Okuyama, Yutaka Matsuoka, Tomohito Nakano, Masatoshi Inagaki, Shigeru Imoto, Maiko Fujimori, Takashi Hosaka, Yosuke Uchitomi

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 8/2005

Login to get access

Abstract

Goals of work

Studies on fatigue in disease-free breast cancer patients have consistently found a significant association between fatigue and depression; and some characteristics of this fatigue may be confused with and/or concealed by those of depression. To clarify the characteristics of fatigue in disease-free breast cancer patients, we examined the frequency of fatigue and associated factors in disease-free breast cancer patients without major depression.

Patients and methods

Seventy-nine ambulatory breast cancer patients without major depression who had been disease-free for more than 3 years since their surgery completed the Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS), a multidimensional scale assessing cancer-related fatigue. Participants also completed the Short-form Eysenck Personality Questionnaire–Revised (EPQR) for assessing their personalities. Sociodemographic, physical, and treatment-related factors were also obtained by interview.

Main results

We found that 36.7% of the patients exhibited fatigue and that fatigue was significantly associated with neuroticism.

Conclusions

These results suggest that a considerable number of disease-free breast cancer patients without major depression experience fatigue and that careful attention to those exhibiting high neuroticism may be of benefit in ameliorating their fatigue.
Literature
1.
Addington AM, Gallo JJ, Ford DE, Eaton WW (2001) Epidemiology of unexplained fatigue and major depression in the community: the Baltimore ECA follow-up, 1981–1994. Psychol Med 31:1037–1044CrossRef
2.
Andrykowski MA, Curran SL, Lightner R (1998) Off-treatment fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a controlled comparison. J Behav Med 21:1-18CrossRef
3.
Bower JE, Ganz PA, Desmond KA, Rowland JH, Meyerowitz BE, Belin TR (2000) Fatigue in breast cancer survivors: occurrence, correlates, and impact on quality of life. J Clin Oncol 18:743–753
4.
Broeckel JA, Jakobsen PB, Horton J, Balducci L, Lyman GH (1998) Characteristics and correlates of fatigue after adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 16:1689–1696
5.
Burstein HJ, Winer EP (2000) Primary care for survivors of breast cancer. New Engl J Med 343:1086–1092CrossRef
6.
Cella D, Davis K, Breitbart W, Curt G for the Fatigue Coalition (2001) Cancer-related fatigue prevalence of proposed diagnostic criteria in a United States Sample of cancer survivors. J Clin Onc 19:3385–3391PubMed
7.
Curt GA, Breitbart W, Cella D, Groopman JE, Horning SJ, Itri LM, Johnson DH, Miaskowski C, Scherr SL, Portenoy RK, Vogelzang NJ (2000) Impact of cancer-related fatigue on the lives of patients: New findings from the fatigue coalition. Oncologists 5:353–360CrossRef
8.
Eysenck G, Eysenck J, Barrett P (1985) A revised version of the psychoticism scale. Personality and individual differences 6:21–29CrossRef
9.
Fielder N, Lange G, Tiersky L, DeLuca J, Policastro T, McNeir KK, McWilliams R, Korn L, Natelson B (2000) Stressors, personality traits, and coping of Gulf War veterans with chronic fatigue. Psycho Somatic Res. 48:525–535
10.
Folstein F, Folstein E, McHugh R (1975) ‘Mini-Mental State’ a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for clinician. J Psychiat Res 12:189–198CrossRef
11.
The editorial board of the cancer statistics in Japan (2003) Cancer Statics in Japan. Foundation for promotion of cancer research, Tokyo p. 48–49
12.
Hann DM, Jacobsen PB, Martin SC, Kronish LE, Azzarello LM, Fields KK (1997) Fatigue in women treated with bone marrow transplantation for breast cancer: a comparison with woman with no history of cancer. Support Care Cancer 5:44–52CrossRef
13.
Hann DM, Jacobsen P, Martin S, Azzarello L, Greenberg H (1998) Fatigue and quality of life following radiation therapy for breast cancer: A comparative study. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 5:19–33CrossRef
14.
Hosokawa T, Ohyama M (1993) Reliability and validity of the short-form Eysenck Personality Questionnaire–Revised. Psychol Rep 72:823–832
15.
Hursti TJ, Avall-Lundqvist E, Borjeson S, Fredrikson M Furst CJ, Steineck G, Peterson C (1996) Impact of tumor burden on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Br J Cancer 74:1114–1119
16.
Mast ME (1998) Correlates of fatigue in survivors of breast cancer. Cancer Nurs 21:136–142CrossRef
17.
McNair M, Lorr M, Droppleman F (1971) Profile of mood states. Educational and Industrial Testing Service, San Diego
18.
Merlelbach S, Konig J, Sittinger H (2003) Personality traits in Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with and without fatigue experience. Acta Neurol Scand 107:195–201CrossRef
19.
Mori E, Mitani Y, Yamadori A (1985) Usefulness of a Japanese Version of the Mini- Mental State Test in neurological patients. Jpn J Neuropsychol 1:82–90
20.
Nakano T, Wenner M, Inagaki M, Kugaya A, Akechi T Matsuoka Y, Sugahara Y, Imoto S, Murakami K, Uchitomi Y (2002) Relationship between distressing cancer-related recollections and hippocampal volume in cancer survivors. Am J Psychiat 159:2087–2093CrossRef
21.
Nakazato K, Mizuguchi T (1982) Development and validation of Japanese version of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory: a study with female subjects. Jpn J Psychosomatic Medicine 22:107–112
22.
Okuyama T, Akechi T, Kugaya A, Okamura H, Imoto S, Nakano T, Mikami I, Hosaka T, Uchitomi Y (2000) Factors correlated with fatigue in disease-free breast cancerpatients: application of the Cancer Fatigue Scale. Support Care Cancer 8:215–222CrossRef
23.
Okuyama T, Akechi T, Kugaya A, Okamura H, Shima Y, Maruguchi M, Hosaka T, Uchitomi Y (2000) Development and validation of the cancer fatigue scale: a brief, three- dimensional, self-rating scale for assessment of fatigue in cancer patients. J Pain Symptom Manage 19:5-14CrossRef
24.
Okuyama T, Tanaka K, Akechi T, Kugaya A, Okamura H, Hosaka T, Nishiwaki Y, Uchitomi Y (2001) Fatigue in ambulatory patients with advanced lung cancer: prevalence, correlated factors, and screening. J Pain Symptom Manage 22:554–564CrossRef
25.
Prins J, Bleijenberg G, Bazelmans E, Elving LD, Boo TM, Severens J, Wilt GJ, Spinhoven P, Meer JWM (2001) Cognitive behaviour therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome: a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet 357:841–847CrossRef
26.
Ranchor AV, Sanderman R, Steptoe A, Wardle J, Miedema I, Ormel J (2002) Pre-morbid predictors of psychological adjustment to cancer. Qual Life Res11:101–113CrossRef
27.
Roelcke U, Kappos L, Lecher-Scott J, Brunschweiler H, Huber S, Ammann W, Plohmann A, Dellas S, Maguire RP, Missimer J, Radu EW, Steck A, Leenders KL (1997) Reduced glucose metabolism in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia of multiple sclerosis patients with fatigue: A 18F- fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography study. Neurology 48:1566–1571
28.
Sammarco A (2001) Perceived social support, uncertainty, and quality of life of younger breast cancer survivors. Cancer Nusing 24:212–219CrossRef
29.
Servaes P, Prins J, Verhagen S, Blejienberg G (2002) Fatigue after breast cancer and in chronic fatigue syndrome similarities and differences. J Psychosom Res. 52:453–459
30.
Servaes P, Verhagen S, Bleijenberg G (2002) Determinants of chronic fatigue in disease-free breast cancer patients: a cross sectional study. Ann Oncol 13:589–598CrossRef
31.
Smets EMA, Visser MRM, Garssen B, Frijda NH, Oosterveld P, Haes JCJM (1998) Understanding the level of fatigue in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. J Psychosom Res 45:277–293CrossRef
32.
Spielberger D, Gorsuch L, Lushene E (1970) STAI manual, Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto
33.
Spitzer L, Williams W, Gibbon M, First B (1990) Structured clinical interview for DSM III-R. American Psychiatric Press, Washington DC
34.
Visser MRM, Smets EMA (1998) Fatigue, depression and quality of life in cancer patients: how are they related? Support Care Cancer 6:101–108CrossRef
35.
Vogelzang NJ, Breiytbart W, Cella D, Curt GA, Groopman JE, Horning SJ, Itri LM, Johnson DH, Scherr SL, Portenoy RK, the fatigue coalition (1997) Patient, caregiver, and oncologist perceptions of cancer-related fatigue: results of a tripart assessment survey. Semin Hematol 34:4–12
36.
Whiting P, Begnall AM, Sowden AJ, Cornell JE, Mulrow CD, Ramirez G (2001) Interventions for the treatment and management of chronic fatigue syndrome. A systematic review. JAMA 286:1360–1368CrossRef
37.
Wise TN, Mann LS (1994) The relationship between somatosensory amplication, alexithymia, and neuroticism. J Psychosom Res 38:515–521CrossRef
38.
Yokoyama K, Araki S, Kawakami N, Takesita T (1990) Production of the Japanese edition of Profile of Mood States: (POMS) assessment of reliability and validity. Nippon Koshu Eisei Zasshi37:913–918
Metadata
Title
Occurrence of fatigue and associated factors in disease-free breast cancer patients without depression
Authors
Yuriko Sugawara
Tatsuo Akechi
Toru Okuyama
Yutaka Matsuoka
Tomohito Nakano
Masatoshi Inagaki
Shigeru Imoto
Maiko Fujimori
Takashi Hosaka
Yosuke Uchitomi
Publication date
01-08-2005
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 8/2005
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-004-0763-6

Other articles of this Issue 8/2005

Supportive Care in Cancer 8/2005 Go to the issue

Original Article

Support group for cancer patients. Does it improve their physical and psychological wellbeing? A pilot study

Supportive Care International

Factors influencing preferences for place of terminal care and of death among cancer patients and their families in Korea

Forthcoming Meetings

Forthcoming Meetings August 2005

Original Article

Use of distress and depression thermometers to measure psychosocial morbidity among southern European cancer patients

Original Article

Systematic review of specialist palliative day-care for adults with cancer

Short Communication

Views of patients with gynecologic cancer about the end of life
Webinar | 19-02-2024 | 17:30 (CET)

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on antibody–drug conjugates in cancer

Watch now

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are novel agents that have shown promise across multiple tumor types. Explore the current landscape of ADCs in breast and lung cancer with our experts, and gain insights into the mechanism of action, key clinical trials data, existing challenges, and future directions.

Dr. Véronique Diéras
Prof. Fabrice Barlesi
Developed by: Springer Medicine
Image Credits