Patients who receive chemotherapy for breast cancer may experience lingering fatigue years after their therapy, according to a follow-up study published in the American Cancer Society's recent issue of Cancer.
"Fatigue is among the most common symptoms reported by women who are treated for breast cancer," said study corresponding author Paul B. Jacobsen, Ph.D., program leader for Health Outcomes and Behavior at Moffitt.
The previous 2007 study found that, immediately following therapy, fatigue was worse for women treated with chemotherapy than those who had received both chemotherapy and radiotherapy, radiotherapy alone, or those with no cancer history. Women in the chemotherapy alone group reported more fatigue than the combination therapy group, the radiotherapy group, or the non-cancer group 6 months after treatment.
The recently published follow-up study included 205 patients treated with chemotherapy and a control group of 193 women with no history of cancer. The controls were within 5 years of age of the cancer patients, and all participants lived in the same zip codes. For both groups, the average age was 55. Fatigue levels were measured at 6 months and 42 months.
"Contrary to our expectations, fatigue did not diminish over time for patients in the chemotherapy group," said Jacobsen. "In some cases, fatigue worsened, and that finding is not consistent with prior research."
Among the possible factors impacting the worsening fatigue is the potential for weight gain. This is common among patients who receive chemotherapy and, unfortunately, many rarely return to their pre-treatment weight. Another variable affecting prolonged fatigue might involve supportive care.
"This finding has important implications for patient education and for fatigue monitoring during follow-up," concluded Jacobsen. "Our results should inform patient education efforts when patients receiving chemotherapy are often told that their fatigue will gradually diminish following treatment. Health care providers may want to communicate to their patients who have received chemotherapy that their fatigue may not improve over time and may worsen."
Patients should be informed of effective strategies to combat fatigue post-treatment, such as exercise and cognitive behavior therapy.
Source: Moffitt Cancer Center.