title: Chemotherapy-Induced Fatigue Correlates With Higher Fatigue Scores Before Treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cancer chemotherapy can induce fatigue in about 20% to 30% of patients. So far, there is very little information as to the predictors of chemotherapy-induced fatigue (CIF). We evaluated potential predictors of CIF in a sample of patients with cancer with several types of solid tumors scheduled to receive chemotherapy according to institutional protocols.
  
  
  METHODS
  Before their first and second chemotherapy cycles, patients answered to the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Chalder, Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Stress thermometer, and HADS questionnaires as well as provided blood samples for inflammatory markers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We evaluated 52 patients, 37 (71%) were female and mean age was 53 years. The most common tumors were breast cancer 21 (40%) and gastrointestinal tumors 12 (23%). Although 14 (25.2%) patients had an increase in their fatigue BFI scores equal or above 3 points from baseline, we observed no significant overall differences between BFI scores before and after chemotherapy. The only 2 factors associated with an increase of 3 points in the BFI scores after chemotherapy were race and higher baseline BFI levels. By multivariate analysis, overall BFI and Chalder scores after chemotherapy also correlated significantly with their respective baseline scores before treatment. HADS scores before treatment correlated with overall BFI scores postchemotherapy, whereas MNA scores before chemotherapy and female sex correlated with higher Chalder scores after treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that fatigue induced by chemotherapy is common and consistently associated with higher fatigue scores before treatment. Screening for fatigue before chemotherapy may help to identify patients who are prone to develop CIF.
authors: 1 ABC Foundation School of Medicine, Santo Andre, Brazil.
authors: José Klerton Luz
authors: JKL
authors: Araújo
authors: 1 ABC Foundation School of Medicine, Santo Andre, Brazil.
authors: Adriana Del
authors: AD
authors: Giglio
authors: 1 ABC Foundation School of Medicine, Santo Andre, Brazil.
authors: Bruna Antenusse
authors: BA
authors: Munhoz
authors: 1 ABC Foundation School of Medicine, Santo Andre, Brazil.
authors: Fernando Luiz Affonso
authors: FLA
authors: Fonseca
authors: 1 ABC Foundation School of Medicine, Santo Andre, Brazil.
authors: Felipe Melo
authors: FM
authors: Cruz
authors: 1 ABC Foundation School of Medicine, Santo Andre, Brazil.
authors: Auro Del
authors: AD
authors: Giglio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers; D005221:Fatigue / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D018836:Inflammation Mediators
keywords: cancer; chemotherapy; fatigue; solid tumors