TY - JOUR
T1 - Clinical factors associated with cancer-related fatigue in patients being treated for leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
AU - Wang, Xin Shelley
AU - Giralt, Sergio A.
AU - Mendoza, Tito R.
AU - Engstrom, Martha C.
AU - Johnson, Beth A.
AU - Peterson, Neomi
AU - Broemeling, Lyle D.
AU - Cleeland, Charles S.
PY - 2002/3/1
Y1 - 2002/3/1
N2 - Purpose: To describe fatigue severity, fatigue interference, and associated factors in hematologic malignancies. Patients and Methods: Patients being treated for leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n = 228) completed the Brief Fatigue Inventory to rate fatigue severity and functional interference caused by fatigue. Data on patient demographics, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, other physical symptoms, current treatments, and laboratory values were also collected. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: Fifty percent of the sample reported severe fatigue, which was defined as a "fatigue worst" rating of 7 or greater. More patients with acute leukemia (61%) reported severe fatigue compared with those with chronic leukemia (47%) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (46%). Increased fatigue severity significantly compromised patients' general activity, work, enjoyment of life, mood, walking, and relationships with others. Fatigue severity was strongly associated with performance status, use of opioids, blood transfusions, gastrointestinal symptoms, and sleep disturbance items, as well as with low serum hemoglobin and albumin levels. Regression analysis indicated that nausea was the significant clinical predictor of severe fatigue (odds ratio, 13), and low serum albumin was the significant laboratory value predictor (odds ratio, 3.8). Conclusion: Disabling fatigue occurs with high frequency in hematologic malignancy, supporting a need to develop better methods of fatigue management. Better control of gastrointestinal and other symptoms may be of benefit. The mechanism and relationship between low albumin and severe fatigue needs to be investigated further, and longitudinal studies of the effects of treatment, host factors, and other symptoms are needed.
AB - Purpose: To describe fatigue severity, fatigue interference, and associated factors in hematologic malignancies. Patients and Methods: Patients being treated for leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n = 228) completed the Brief Fatigue Inventory to rate fatigue severity and functional interference caused by fatigue. Data on patient demographics, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, other physical symptoms, current treatments, and laboratory values were also collected. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: Fifty percent of the sample reported severe fatigue, which was defined as a "fatigue worst" rating of 7 or greater. More patients with acute leukemia (61%) reported severe fatigue compared with those with chronic leukemia (47%) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (46%). Increased fatigue severity significantly compromised patients' general activity, work, enjoyment of life, mood, walking, and relationships with others. Fatigue severity was strongly associated with performance status, use of opioids, blood transfusions, gastrointestinal symptoms, and sleep disturbance items, as well as with low serum hemoglobin and albumin levels. Regression analysis indicated that nausea was the significant clinical predictor of severe fatigue (odds ratio, 13), and low serum albumin was the significant laboratory value predictor (odds ratio, 3.8). Conclusion: Disabling fatigue occurs with high frequency in hematologic malignancy, supporting a need to develop better methods of fatigue management. Better control of gastrointestinal and other symptoms may be of benefit. The mechanism and relationship between low albumin and severe fatigue needs to be investigated further, and longitudinal studies of the effects of treatment, host factors, and other symptoms are needed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036498913&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0036498913&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1200/JCO.20.5.1319
DO - 10.1200/JCO.20.5.1319
M3 - Article
C2 - 11870175
AN - SCOPUS:0036498913
SN - 0732-183X
VL - 20
SP - 1319
EP - 1328
JO - Journal of Clinical Oncology
JF - Journal of Clinical Oncology
IS - 5
ER -