[Cancer-related fatigue]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Symptom Management
• Patient Care

Context:

• Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a prevalent and distressing symptom affecting most cancer patients.
• CRF presents multifaceted biopsychosocial aspects, complicating its definition and assessment.
• Current assessment tools for CRF lack universal agreement on the optimal measurement instrument.

Purpose:

• To review the current understanding of cancer-related fatigue (CRF), including its definition, measurement, and treatment.
• To evaluate the efficacy of various pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions for CRF.
• To identify gaps in research and suggest future directions for CRF management.

Summary:

• Pharmacologic interventions like corticosteroids show some efficacy in terminal patients, but psychostimulants and other agents generally yield negative results.
• Non-pharmacologic interventions, including exercise and integrative therapies, have shown promise but suffer from methodological limitations, with unclear optimal approaches and small effect sizes.
• The optimal definition, measurement, and treatment strategies for CRF remain to be established, necessitating further rigorous research.

Impact:

• Highlights the significant unmet need for effective management strategies for cancer-related fatigue.
• Underscores the limitations of current research in defining and treating CRF, guiding future research priorities.
• Emphasizes the need for standardized definitions and validated measurement tools to advance CRF research and clinical practice.