Dimensions of fatigue during radiotherapy

Abstract. The aim of the present study was to describe fatigue in a group of irradiated cancer patients. Fatigue was assessed prospectively in 81 Swedish cancer patients, using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), which was also validated in the study, the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale and a Borg CR10 scale before curative radiotherapy, at the end of therapy and 1 and 3 months after treatment. The mean age of these patients was 56 years; 90% were female; and 65% were being treated for cancer of the breast. The absorbed radiation dose was 50 Gy or lower in 90% of the patients. A clear peak in experienced fatigue according to the three scales was seen at the end of treatment. In the MFI-20 the dimensions of General fatigue, Physical fatigue and Reduced activity, were more pronounced than the aspects of Mental fatigue and Reduced motivation. Comparison with other studies using the same instrument in other irradiated patients revealed a similar pattern. The internal consistency of the Swedish version of the MFI-20 was good. The MFI-20 is shown to be a valid instrument for assessing fatigue in patients undergoing radiotherapy.

[1]  R E Slaughter,et al.  The revised Piper Fatigue Scale: psychometric evaluation in women with breast cancer. , 1998, Oncology nursing forum.

[2]  R. Pötter,et al.  Quality of life changes during conformal radiation therapy for prostate carcinoma , 2000, Cancer.

[3]  L. Nail,et al.  Fatique Patterns Observed in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy , 2000, Cancer investigation.

[4]  M. Barton-Burke.  Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Holistic View , 1998 .

[5]  R. Snaith,et al.  The hospital anxiety and depression scale. , 2013, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica.

[6]  T. Åkerstedt,et al.  Subjective and objective sleepiness in the active individual. , 1990, The International journal of neuroscience.

[7]  S B Kaye,et al.  On the receiving end--patient perception of the side-effects of cancer chemotherapy. , 1983, European journal of cancer & clinical oncology.

[8]  Carol A. Trujillo,et al.  The MOS 36-Item Short Form Health Survey: reliability, validity, and preliminary findings in schizophrenic outpatients. , 1998, Medical care.

[9]  E. Smets,et al.  The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) psychometric qualities of an instrument to assess fatigue. , 1995, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[10]  Möller Anders,et al.  Fatigue in Cancer Patients , 1998 .

[11]  S. Wessely,et al.  Development of a fatigue scale. , 1993, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[12]  E. Åhsberg,et al.  Perceived quality of fatigue during different occupational tasks Development of a questionnaire , 1997 .

[13]  C. Sherbourne,et al.  The MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) , 1992 .

[14]  S. Ferketich,et al.  The Development of an Instrument to Measure the Subjective Dimension of Fatigue , 1989 .

[15]  L. Degner,et al.  Measuring symptom distress in patients with lung cancer. A pilot study of experienced intensity and importance of symptoms. , 2000, Cancer nursing.

[16]  M. R. Visser,et al.  Fatigue and radiotherapy: (A) experience in patients undergoing treatment. , 1998, British Journal of Cancer.

[17]  S. Kaasa,et al.  Fatigue and cancer—prevalence, correlates and measurement , 1998 .

[18]  R. Kurzrock,et al.  Clinical toxicity of interferons in cancer patients: a review. , 1986, Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

[19]  L. Nail,et al.  Patients' descriptions of the experience of receiving radiation therapy. , 1985, Oncology nursing forum.

[20]  B. Garssen,et al.  Fatigue in cancer patients. , 1993, British Journal of Cancer.

[21]  L. Nail,et al.  Fatigue and the cancer experience: the state of the knowledge. , 1994, Oncology nursing forum.

[22]  D. Greenberg,et al.  Fatigue syndrome due to localized radiation. , 1992, Journal of pain and symptom management.