title: Longitudinal study of cancer-related fatigue in patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dynamic changes of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) among hospitalized patients with colorectal cancer were determined.
  
  
  METHODS
  This longitudinal, descriptive study involved 96 hospitalized patients with colorectal cancer, all recruited from a tertiary general hospital in Guangzhou, China. Patients completed questionnaires three times to assess the degree of fatigue, and measurement points were within one week of admission, at 2 to 3 days after surgery and 3 weeks after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences among the three measurement points (p<0.01) were observed. The scores of fatigue in the second survey were the highest, followed by the third and first surveys. Colon cancer patient scores were higher than those of rectal cancer patients with a significant difference (p<0.05). Colorectal patients experienced different degrees of fatigue at different periods during hospitalization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights the importance of interventions that are carefully tailored to patients based on the characteristics at different periods to alleviate fatigue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China E-mail : sxbbcn@163.com.
authors.forename: Shu-Xia
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Bei-Bei
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jian-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires