Cancer fatigue: a neurobiological review for psychiatrists.
BACKGROUND
Fatigue, both during and subsequent to treatment, is a ubiquitous and debilitating phenomenon for patients undergoing treatment for cancer of all types.


OBJECTIVE
This review will focus on understanding the complex neurobiological mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and their relevance for various treatment routes.


METHODS
The review will describe the prevalence of CRF, differential diagnosis, consideration of neurobiological mechanisms, and routes for intervention.


CONCLUSIONS
The review will provide suggestions for future study and research, and a future article will describe behavioral and educational strategies psychiatrists may use in alleviating cancer fatigue.
Levy
Mitchell R
MR
Dept. of Psychiatry, Univ. of Washington, 4225 Roosevelt Way, Suite 306, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. mrlevy@u.washington.edu
D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000379:methods