Fatigue in patients with cancer

This paper reviews current knowledge regarding cancer-related fatigue assessment, prevalence, mechanisms and management. Most quality of life questionnaires contain at least some items pertaining to fatigue and a number of more specific self-assessment tools have now also been developed. As a results, there is a growing body of literature which documents the extent and severity of fatigue in cancer populations. Unfortunately most of these studies are uncontrolled and do not, therefore, provide an accurate estimate of the prevalence or severity of cancer fatigue relative to that found in the general population. Data from controlled studies are limited and the results are conflicting. Cross-sectional studies suggest that fatigue is the result of a combination of physical and psychological causes. Although no one treatment is proven to alleviate cancer-related fatigue a number of strategies show therapeutic promise.