Fatigue in cancer patients

Abstract

The interest in fatigue seems to be growing. A Medline search combining the key words fatigue and cancer yielded 248 entries compared with 72 entries 10 years previously. The studies published are mainly descriptive, augmenting the knowledge about the extent of fatigue associated with cancer, as well as during and after the various treatments used to fight it. New measurement instruments integrating the multidimensional concept of fatigue are being proposed. In 1998, the first study describing fatigue in children and adolescents with cancer was published. The knowledge of the causes of fatigue related to cancer remains extremely limited. In only a few studies are interventions and treatment possibilities for fatigue discussed. Hopefully, the refined knowledge about the characteristics of fatigue and its epidemiology will provide new etiologic understanding, resulting in effective treatment. This article provides a survey on the literature published in 1998.