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Fatigue after treatment in breast cancer survivors: prevalence, determinants and impact on health-related quality of life

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Abstract

Purpose

Fatigue is a phenomenon that may persist for years after completion of adjuvant therapy, and is one of the most frequent symptoms associated with breast cancer survivors. The purposes of this study were to investigate the occurrence of fatigue in disease-free breast cancer survivors after treatment, to identify variables associated with fatigue, and to evaluate the impact of fatigue on health-related quality of life.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 202 consecutive women diagnosed with in-situ to Stage III breast cancer attending in outpatient facilities of two large hospitals, one year or more after diagnosis. They completed the Piper Fatigue Scale-Revised and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30. Multiple logistic regression models were used to identify predictive factors associated with fatigue. EORTC QLQC-30 scores for fatigued survivors were compared to non-fatigued survivors.

Results

The prevalence of fatigue reported by the breast cancer survivors was 37.6%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that predictive factors for fatigue included younger age (odds ratio [OR]=2.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.11–4.45, p = 0.024); presence of pain (OR = 3.87, 95% CI = 1.88-7.98, p = 0.000); dyspnea (OR = 3.72, 95% CI = 1.46–9.50, p = 0.006); insomnia (OR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.19–4.86, p = 0.015); and nausea and vomiting (OR = 12.25, 95% CI = 1.18–126.75, p = 0.036). Fatigued women had poorer health-related quality of life than non-fatigued women in all domains.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that many disease-free breast cancer survivors after treatment experienced fatigue that compromises their health-related quality of life.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the women who took part in this research.

Conflicts of interest

The authors of this study did not receive any financial support for this study and declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil

    Ana Claudia Garabeli Cavalli Kluthcovsky

  2. Departament of Medicine, Campus Uvaranas, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Av. General Carlos Cavalcanti, 4748, Ponta Grossa, Parana, Brazil, 84030-900

    Ana Claudia Garabeli Cavalli Kluthcovsky

  3. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil

    Almir Antonio Urbanetz

  4. Department of Community Health, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil

    Denise Siqueira de Carvalho & Eliane Mara Cesario Pereira Maluf

  5. Department of Oncology Gynecology, Erasto Gaertner Hospital, Curitiba, Brazil

    Geovana Cristina Schlickmann Sylvestre & Sergio Bruno Bonatto Hatschbach

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  1. Ana Claudia Garabeli Cavalli Kluthcovsky
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  2. Almir Antonio Urbanetz
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  3. Denise Siqueira de Carvalho
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  4. Eliane Mara Cesario Pereira Maluf
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  5. Geovana Cristina Schlickmann Sylvestre
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  6. Sergio Bruno Bonatto Hatschbach
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Correspondence to Ana Claudia Garabeli Cavalli Kluthcovsky.

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Cavalli Kluthcovsky, A.C.G., Urbanetz, A.A., de Carvalho, D.S. et al. Fatigue after treatment in breast cancer survivors: prevalence, determinants and impact on health-related quality of life. Support Care Cancer 20, 1901–1909 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1293-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1293-7

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