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Supportive Care in Cancer
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer 3/2006

01-03-2006 | Original Article

Fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms prior to chemotherapy for breast cancer

Authors: Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Lianqi Liu, Matthew R. Marler, Barbara A. Parker, Vicky Jones, Georgia Robins Sadler, Joel Dimsdale, Mairav Cohen-Zion, Lavinia Fiorentino

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 3/2006

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Abstract

Goals

Previous investigations have shown that women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer experience both disturbed sleep and fatigue. However, most of the previous research examined women either during or after chemotherapy. This study examined sleep, fatigue, and circadian rhythms in women with breast cancer before the start of chemotherapy.

Patients and methods

Eighty five women with Stages I–IIIA breast cancer who were scheduled to begin adjuvant or neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy participated. Each had sleep/wake activity recorded with actigraphy for 72 consecutive hours and filled out questionnaires on sleep, fatigue, depression, and functional outcome.

Main results

On average, the women slept for about 6 h a night and napped for over an hour during the day. Sleep was reported to be disturbed and fatigue levels were high. Circadian rhythms were robust, but women who were more phase-delayed reported more daily dysfunction (p<0.01).

Conclusions

The data from the current study suggest that the women with breast cancer likely experience both disturbed sleep and fatigue before the beginning of chemotherapy. Although their circadian rhythms are robust, breast cancer patients with more delayed rhythms experience more daily dysfunction secondary to fatigue. These data suggest that strategies to improve disturbed sleep and to phase-advance circadian rhythms prior to initiation of chemotherapy may be beneficial in improving daily function in breast cancer patients.
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Metadata
Title
Fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms prior to chemotherapy for breast cancer
Authors
Sonia Ancoli-Israel
Lianqi Liu
Matthew R. Marler
Barbara A. Parker
Vicky Jones
Georgia Robins Sadler
Joel Dimsdale
Mairav Cohen-Zion
Lavinia Fiorentino
Publication date
01-03-2006
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 3/2006
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-005-0861-0

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