title: The use of corticosteroids in reducing cancer-related fatigue: assessing the evidence for clinical practice.
abstract: Fatigue is a significant issue for people with advanced cancer, impacting on quality of life. Strategies to address fatigue encompass non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches and thus require a multidisciplinary approach to manage the physical and psychological impacts on the individual. A widely used strategy to treat fatigue in palliative care is the use of corticosteroids but, despite being frequently prescribed, evidence of their effectiveness is ambiguous. This paper used a systematic approach to explore literature to determine evidence about whether the use of corticosteroids improves levels of cancer-related fatigue in people with advanced cancer. Some 12 relevant papers were found, of which all but 4 were excluded because of age, or because the population group was receiving active treatment. All studies reported improvements in patient-reported fatigue as a result of taking corticosteroids, although the quality of results varied and only a few were deemed to have statistically significant results. While there is some evidence that corticosteroids can improve cancer-related fatigue, more rigorous research is required.
authors.affiliation: Palliative Care Nurse, Melbourne City Mission Palliative Care, Victoria.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Begley
authors.affiliation: General Practitioner, Glenferrie Hill Medical Centre, Hawthorn.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.affiliation: Professor, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University Melbourne.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Connor
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005221:Fatigue / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones
keywords: Cancer-related fatigue; Corticosteroids; Palliative care