Patient-reported fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy

Quality of Life Outcomes in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy With or Without Radiation Therapy

PURPOSE

Understanding quality of life (QOL) implications of individual components of breast cancer treatment is important as systemic therapies continue to improve oncologic outcomes. We hypothesized that adjuvant radiation therapy does not significantly impact QOL domains in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

METHODS

Data was drawn from three prospective studies in women with localized breast cancer being treated with chemotherapy from March 2014 to December 2019. Patient-reported measures were collected at baseline (pretreatment) and post-treatment using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) measure, which consists of 5 subscales. Changes in mean QOL scores in patients who received radiotherapy were compared to those who did not using a one-sided noninferiority method. Statistical significance was determined below 0.05 to meet noninferiority.

RESULTS

In a sample of 175 patients, 131 were treated with radiation and 44 had no radiation. The sample consisted mostly of stage I-II breast cancer (78%) with hormone receptor positive (59%) disease, receiving either neoadjuvant (36%) or adjuvant chemotherapy (64%). Mean change in QOL for the group treated with radiation compared to no radiation was noninferior with respect to Physical Well-Being (P = .0027), Social/Family Well-Being (P = .0002), Emotional Well-Being (P = .0203), FACIT-Fatigue Subscale (P = .0072), and the Total FACIT-F score (P = .0005); however, mean change in QOL did not meet noninferiority for Functional Well-Being (P = .0594).

CONCLUSION

Patient-reported QOL from baseline to post-treatment, using the Total FACIT-F score, was noninferior in patients treated with versus without radiation therapy. This finding, in addition to individualized QOL subscales, provides important information in the informed decision-making process when discussing the effects of locoregional radiation on QOL in localized breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.

Changes in fatigue among cancer patients before, during, and after radiation therapy: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Fatigue is a common symptom in cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. However, previous studies report inconsistent patterns of fatigue change.

AIM

The aim of this study was to estimate changes in fatigue among patients with cancer before, during, and after radiotherapy.

METHODS

Five databases (PubMed, SDOL, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Medline [ProQuest], and ProQuest Dissertations) were searched for studies published from January 2006 to May 2021. Three effect sizes of fatigue change (immediate, short-term, and long-term) were calculated for each primary study using standardized mean difference. A random-effect model was used to combine effect sizes across studies. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression were performed to identify potential categorical and continuous moderators, respectively.

RESULTS

Sixty-five studies were included in this meta-analysis. The weighted mean effect size for immediate, short-term, and long-term effects was 0.409 (p < .001; 95% CI [0.280, 0.537]), 0.303 (p < .001; 95% CI [0.189, 0.417]), and 0.201 (p = .05; 95% CI [-0.001, 0.404]), respectively. Studies with prostate cancer patients had a significantly higher short-term (0.588) and long-term weight mean effect size (0.531) than studies with breast (0.128, -0.072) or other cancers (0.287, 0.215). Higher radiotherapy dosage was significantly associated with a higher effect size for both immediate (β = .0002, p < .05) and short-term (β = .0002, p < .05) effect.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

Findings from this meta-analysis indicated that radiotherapy-induced fatigue (RIF) exist for more than 3 months after the completion of treatment. Assessment of radiation-induced fatigue in cancer patients should extend long after treatment completion, especially for patients with prostate cancer and patients receiving a higher radiation dose. Interventions to reduce fatigue tailored for different treatment phases may be developed.

A comparison of acute patient-reported outcomes in breast cancer patients with and without regional nodal irradiation using the ESAS and PRFS tool

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Regional nodal irradiation (RNI) is commonly administered in patients with breast cancer with node-positive disease to prevent cancer recurrence. The purpose of this study is to identify whether RNI is associated with greater acute symptom burden from baseline to 1 to 3 months post completion of radiotherapy (RT) when compared to localized RT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patient and treatment characteristics were collected prospectively for breast cancer patients with and without RNI from February 2018 to September 2020. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) and Patient-Reported Functional Status (PRFS) tool were completed by patients at baseline, weekly during RT, and at a 1- to 3-month follow-up visit. The Wilcoxon rank-sum or Fisher exact tests were used to compare variables between patients with or without RNI.

RESULTS

A total of 781 patients were included in the analysis. Baseline symptom reporting was similar between cohorts, with the exception of PRFS scores (p = 0.0023), which were worse in patients receiving RNI. Across all time points, differences in outcomes between cohorts were minimal, except for lack of appetite (p = 0.03) and PRFS scores (p = 0.049), which were significantly aggravated in patients treated with RNI.

CONCLUSION

There is insufficient evidence to suggest that RNI is associated with greater symptom burden as assessed with the ESAS. Further research should be conducted over a longer time period to determine the impact of late effects of RNI on patient-reported symptoms.

Fatigue During Cancer-Related Radiotherapy and Associations with Activities, Work Ability and Quality of Life: Paying Attention to Subgroups more Likely to Experience Fatigue

BACKGROUND

Having knowledge of which patients are more likely to experience fatigue during radiotherapy and the relationship between fatigue and health-related quality of life (HRQL) is important to improve identification and care of patients experiencing burdensome fatigue.

OBJECTIVE

To identify subgroups of patients, varying in situational, physiological, and psychological factors, who are more likely to experience fatigue an ordinary week of radiotherapy, and to compare patients experiencing and not experiencing fatigue regarding perceived HRQL and functional performance, that is, daily and physical activity and work ability.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study of 457 patients (52% women) undergoing radiotherapy (38% breast, 32% prostate cancer), using self-reported questionnaire data on fatigue, HRQL and functional performance analyzed using multivariable regression models.

RESULTS

Of the 448 patients who answered the fatigue question, 321 (72%) experienced fatigue. Patients reporting any comorbidity or depressed mood were more likely to experience fatigue, relative risk (RR) 1.56 ([95% confidence interval (CI)] 1.13-2.16) and RR 2.57 (CI 1.73-3.83), respectively. Patients with fatigue reported worse HRQL and performed less physical activity, including daily (P = .003), vigorous (P = .003) and moderate (P = .002) activity. Patients with and without fatigue reported 60% versus 40% sickness absence.

CONCLUSION

Patients with depressed mood or comorbidity were more likely to experience fatigue an ordinary week of radiotherapy than other patients were. Patients experiencing fatigue perceived worse HRQL and performed less daily and physical activity compared to patients not experiencing fatigue. Cancer care practitioners may consider paying extra attention to these subgroups of patients.