Sociodemographic and treatment-related correlates of fatigue in breast cancer survivors at an oncology clinic in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer survivors (BCS) still experience fatigue that may impair their quality of life even after completion of treatment. There is a need to understand the sociodemographic and treatment-related factors associated with this to develop relevant and effective interventions.

AIM

To assess the relationship between cancer-related fatigue and sociodemographic and treatment-related factors in BCS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study involving 80 BCS attending the radiation oncology University College Hospital Ibadan. Their sociodemographic, disease and treatment characteristics were obtained. Fatigue Symptom Inventory was used to assess fatigue. A score of at least 3 on average fatigue severity item was taken as cut-off for clinically meaningful fatigue.

RESULT

The mean age of patients was 51.5 years. The prevalence of fatigue was 22.5%. On univariate analysis, fatigue was significantly associated with younger age ( = 0.022), employment ( = 0.006), stage of the disease( = 0.014), anthracycline-based chemotherapy ( = 0.026), last chemotherapy less than 1 year ( = 0.001). Using logistic regression analysis, stage (Odds ratio (OR) 5.115, 95% CI 1.029-25.438, = 0.046), employment status (OR 52.224, 95% CI 3.611-755.899, = 0.004) and year of last cycle chemotherapy (OR 6.375, 95% CI 1.108-36.680, = 0.038) were associated with fatigue in BCS.

CONCLUSION

About a quarter of BCS reported fatigue. Advance stage disease, employment status and receiving last course of chemotherapy less than a year are correlates of fatigue.