Evidence based data regarding fatigue in women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy

Fatigue is one of the most prevalent symptoms in cancer patients. It has been reported to affect 70–95% of patients receiving therapy. Fatigue remains a disruptive symptom in disease-free cancer survivors and affects patients in palliative care. Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in women over the world, and radiotherapy could be used either as a treatment or as palliative care. AiM The purpose of this study was to review the current literature on fatigue in women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy. MATERiAL-METhoD Literature review and critical analysis of the articles found approaching the theme into international medical and nursing literature databases (Medline, Cinahl) in the years 1979–2005. RESULTS This critical literature review revealed that most studies involved samples of patients with different types of cancer while the minority involved pure breast cancer patients. The findings indicated that the intensity of fatigue increased progressively during radiotherapy, was higher at the end of radiotherapy and remained after the completion of the therapy. Since studies in pure breast cancer patients were used different scales for measuring fatigue, were studied small samples of patients, and did not mention clinical characteristics of sample (chemotherapy, stage, surgery), the results were not comparable and generalisable. CoNCLUSioNS There is a great need for systemic assessment of this problem in clinical practice, and studies to investigate effective interventions to alleviate fatigue and its implications in quality of life in breast cancer patients. Nurses should intervene efficiently, assess fatigue, educate and support patients in order to encourage manage this invisible but quite significant and frequent clinical problem.

Category: Volume 45, N 4
Hits: 468 Hits
Created Date: 15-12-2006
Authors: Maria Lavdaniti , Elisabeth Patiraki