Abstract
Objective
Fatigue has multiple causes but the pathogenesis is not completely understood. Fatigue
is one of the worst threats to the functional independence of older individuals. The
aim of this study is to establish an association between fatigue, anemia and functional
dependence in older cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
Materials and methods
Patients aged 70 years or older with a diagnosis of metastatic malignancy were enrolled. All patients
were evaluated at the beginning and after 3 months of treatment. A comprehensive geriatric assessment and Fatigue Symptom Inventory
(FSI) were used at the beginning and at the end of the study.
Results
The final sample involved 129 patients. Almost all fatigue scores had a significant
increase from the beginning to the end of treatment. IADLs and PS decreased significantly
between the baseline and the final evaluations. The worsening in severity of fatigue,
anemia, the increase in interference with daily living as well as the hours of fatigue
during the day were associated with disabilities in IADLs. The decline in creatinine
value was the only parameter associated with PS.
Conclusions
Fatigue is almost universal in older cancer patients at the end of chemotherapy treatment
and is associated with functional dependence, especially IADLs. We also established
an independent correlation of anemia and functional dependence in older individuals.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 07, 2012
Accepted:
February 7,
2012
Received in revised form:
January 10,
2012
Received:
November 25,
2011
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Published by Elsevier Inc.
