title: Factors Associated with Fatigue in Korean Gastric Cancer Survivors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer in Korea. Fatigue is a common symptom among cancer survivors. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with fatigue in gastric cancer survivors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were analyzed from 199 gastric cancer survivors who visited a cancer survivor outpatient clinic from July 2013 to June 2014. Patients were surveyed using a questionnaire containing a fatigue severity scale (FSS) and questions regarding associated symptoms. Participants were divided into fatigue (FSS) and non-fatigue groups based on FSS scores (≥4 and <4, respectively). Age, sex, weight, body mass index, cancer stage, pathology, surgery type, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, comorbid disease, family history of cancer, smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, and laboratory results were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The fatigue and non-fatigue groups contained 42 and 157 survivors, respectively. Their mean age was 58 years, and the mean post-operative period was 6.58 years. Arthralgia (odds ratio [OR], 12.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.21-52.34), dyspnea (OR, 10.54; 95% CI, 2.94-37.80), dyspepsia (OR, 8.26; 95% CI, 2.63-25.96), changed bowel habits (OR, 4.56; 95% CI, 1.09-19.11), anemia (OR, 3.18; 95% CI, 1.26-8.05), and regular exercise (OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.12-0.77) were significantly associated with fatigue in gastric cancer survivors, while weight, treatment, and depressive mood were not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Arthralgia, dyspnea, dyspepsia, bowel habit change, anemia, and regular exercise are associated with fatigue in gastric cancer survivors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Wan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Kwon
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Cho-Rong
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Shin
keywords: Fatigue; Stomach Neoplasms; Survivors