Does Curative Radiotherapy Impact Fatigue Onset in Prostate Cancer Patients? An Analysis of 1253 Patients

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiotherapy Research
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Fatigue significantly impacts prostate cancer (PC) patients' quality of life.
• Understanding radiotherapy's (RT) role in PC-related fatigue is crucial for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the incidence and clinical significance of fatigue in PC patients undergoing RT.
• To identify factors contributing to RT-induced fatigue in PC survivors.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 1253 PC patients treated between 2002 and 2022.
• Fatigue assessed using Cancer Linear Analogue Scale (CLAS) at baseline, 1 month, and 12 months post-RT.
• Clinically significant fatigue defined as ≥2-point decrease in CLAS scores.

Main Results:

• 30% of PC patients had moderate to high fatigue at baseline.
• RT-related fatigue onset observed in 10.8-19.4% of patients at 1 and 12 months post-RT.
• Hypofractionated RT, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), surgery, alcohol use, and toxicities predicted worsened fatigue.

Conclusions:

• Pre-treatment fatigue is common in PC patients; RT-induced fatigue affects less than 20% post-treatment.
• Treatment toxicities, hypofractionation, ADT, and alcohol consumption are key contributors to PC fatigue.
• Managing PC fatigue requires consideration of treatment modalities and lifestyle factors.