Evaluation of Fatigue and Its Related Factors in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Abstract

Background & aim: Cancer as an uncomfortable experience for everyone causes a lot of mental and physical discomfort. Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most common symptoms which cancer patients experience during illness or treatment. This study was conducted to determine factors related to fatigue in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: The current descriptive analytical study was done on 117 cancer patients under chemotherapy treatment in Sayyed Al-Shohada hospital. Patients were selected through convenience sampling in 2013. Data was collected using Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) and demographic characteristics questionnaires. Obtained data analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistical tests. Results: Most of the participants had low fatigue (74.4%). The physical dimension had the highest scores (15.52±4.43) among fatigue's various dimensions including the cognitive, physical, and emotional fatigues. Physical fatigue had a direct relation with age (p<0.001) while it related reversely to age (p<0.001) and education level (p<0.001). There were significant statistical differences in the fatigue mean scores between genders (p<0.05) and marital status (p<0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that all of the participants have experienced fatigue at different levels. The fatigue scores were higher in elders, women, low education, divorced and widowed people than others. This issue indicated the importance of paying attention to these people in curative, supportive and educational programs. To achieve this goal, overcoming or at least reducing the fatigue strategies should be taught to the mentioned groups.