Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva 14, Switzerland.
Support Care Cancer. 2011 Mar;19(3):363-70. doi: 10.1007/s00520-010-0826-9. Epub 2010 Feb 19.
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is frequently overlooked. Adherence to treatment guidelines may be related to the patient's views about illness. This study aimed at exploring patients' views about CRF and determining whether they are congruent with best practice treatments.
Data were collected in 160 consecutive patients hospitalized in a supportive care setting. Biological, clinical, and psychological variables were assessed using validated questionnaires. Patients were also asked to complete the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and a questionnaire investigating their main symptoms and views about CRF and its management.
Patients were mainly men (60%); median age was 66 years. Various cancer diagnoses were represented; 17.5% had primary local diseases, 40% local recurrences, and 42.5% metastatic diseases. The majority of the patients experienced moderate or severe CRF (76.3%) on the BFI. Fatigue was the most frequently reported symptom (87.5%). Only anxiety, depression, and dimensions of quality of life were significantly related with CRF. Two thirds of the patients associated CRF with cancer-related morbidities. As for the best treatments, patients first stressed control of adverse effects. Over half of the patients were reluctant to report fatigue, mainly because they considered fatigue as an unavoidable side effect, but also because they feared a change towards less active/aggressive treatments.
Patients mostly consider that CRF must be tolerated. Guidelines emphasize activity enhancement strategies as beneficial. The patients' preferences for rest rather than activity may be related to their high level of fatigue, which leads them to disregard activity as a possible treatment.
癌症相关性疲劳（CRF）经常被忽视。对治疗指南的依从性可能与患者对疾病的看法有关。本研究旨在探讨患者对 CRF 的看法，并确定这些看法是否与最佳实践治疗相符。
在支持性护理环境中连续收治的 160 例患者中收集数据。使用经过验证的问卷评估生物学、临床和心理变量。还要求患者完成简短疲劳量表（BFI）和一份问卷，调查他们对 CRF 及其管理的主要症状和看法。
患者主要为男性（60%）；中位年龄为 66 岁。有各种癌症诊断；17.5%为原发性局部疾病，40%为局部复发，42.5%为转移性疾病。大多数患者在 BFI 上经历中度或重度 CRF（76.3%）。疲劳是最常报告的症状（87.5%）。只有焦虑、抑郁和生活质量维度与 CRF 显著相关。三分之二的患者将 CRF 与癌症相关的发病率联系起来。至于最佳治疗方法，患者首先强调控制不良反应。超过一半的患者不愿意报告疲劳，主要是因为他们认为疲劳是不可避免的副作用，但也因为他们担心治疗方式会变得不那么积极/主动。
患者大多认为必须忍受 CRF。指南强调增强活动策略有益。患者对休息而不是活动的偏好可能与他们的高疲劳水平有关，这使他们忽视了活动作为一种可能的治疗方法。
