Use of Methylphenidate for the Management of Fatigue in Chinese Patients With Cancer

Reason for the Study: Studies on methylphenidate for cancer-related fatigue showed conflicting results. This prospective study aims to determine whether methylphenidate is useful for relieving fatigue in Chinese patients with cancer. Chinese Version of Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI-C) was administered on days 1, 8, and 29. Methylphenidate dose on day 1 was 5 mg daily then adjusted after day 8 according to response and side effects tolerance. Main Findings: Only 48% of the 25 recruited patients were on methylphenidate by day 29. Overall, no significant improvement in fatigue level was observed after methylphenidate, though benefits were shown in subgroups with age ≤ 65 and higher baseline BFI-C values. Principal Conclusions: Methylphenidate may be useful for management of cancer-related fatigue in selected Chinese patients.

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