Vnitr Lek 2007, 53(9):979-985

Chronic fatigue syndrome in cancer patients. Diagnostic and treatment options.

F. Jedlička^1,*, L. Elbl¹, I. Vášová², I. Tomášková¹, J. Vorlíček², J. Špinar¹

¹ Interní kardiologická klinika Lékařské fakulty MU a FN Brno, pracoviště Bohunice, přednosta prof. MUDr. Jindřich Špinar, CSc., FESC

² Interní hematoonkologická klinika Lékařské fakulty MU a FN Brno, pracoviště Bohunice, přednosta prof. MUDr. Jiří Vorlíček, CSc.

Fatigue is the most frequent symptom accompanying a cancer disease and its treatment according to the visual analogue scale. Fatigue is reported by as many as 100 % of patients in the course of cancer treatment and still by 40 to 70 % of patients one year after the treatment has finished. This symptom has become known under the designation of "cancer-related fatigue" in the English language literature on the subject. The knowledge of the causes and mechanisms of fatigue is relatively limited. Based on practical guidelines, an algorithm has been used to detect, evaluate and influence by treatment the syndrome of fatigue caused by a cancer disease. Research in the field has been focused on both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approach. The highest efficiency in the treatment of fatigue syndrome has been recorded for the treatment of anaemia with erythropoietin, while aerobic exercise programmes have proven to be most efficient among the behavioural measures. In spite of a dramatically growing interest in the above problem in the past decade, a number of issues continue unresolved with respect to chronic fatigue syndrome related to a cancer disease or to its treatment. Based on their own experience and on the relevant literature, the authors deal with issues of chronic fatigue syndrome and the options for its diagnosing and treatment in patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Keywords: chronic fatigue syndrome; cancer disease; aerobic exercise

Received: March 8, 2007; Accepted: March 26, 2007; Published: September 1, 2007  Show citation