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Fatigue in older cancer patients: etiology, assessment, and treatment.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Rao, AV; Cohen, HJ
Published in: Semin Oncol
December 2008

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms experienced by elderly cancer patients and by cancer survivors. However, this has not translated into an increase in clinical trials for assessment and therapy of CRF in this population. The early recognition and formal assessment of this symptom is important in order to be able to treat it, before it negatively impacts the patient's quality of life. All reversible causes like anemia, depression, anxiety, and hypothyroidism should be ruled out and treated appropriately. CRF can be treated with pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic measures and possibly a combination of both measures. Pharmacologic measures that have been studied in cancer patients with fatigue include hematopoeitics, antidepressants, donepezil, modafinil, methylphenidate, and other agents. Exercise programs continue to be the most popular and widely studied nonpharmacologic intervention for CRF. Psychosocial interventions, energy conservation measures, and improvement of sleep also can lead to less fatigue in cancer patients. However, there continues to be a need for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating CRF specifically in elderly patients with cancer. This review provides a brief overview of CRF in elderly cancer patients and highlights the areas of required research in this patient population.

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Published In

Semin Oncol

DOI

ISSN

0093-7754

Publication Date

December 2008

Volume

35

Issue

6

Start / End Page

633 / 642

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Quality of Life
  • Oncology & Carcinogenesis
  • Neoplasms
  • Humans
  • Fatigue
  • Aged
  • 3211 Oncology and carcinogenesis
  • 1112 Oncology and Carcinogenesis
 

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Rao, A. V., & Cohen, H. J. (2008). Fatigue in older cancer patients: etiology, assessment, and treatment. Semin Oncol, 35(6), 633–642. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.seminoncol.2008.08.005
Rao, Arati V., and Harvey Jay Cohen. “Fatigue in older cancer patients: etiology, assessment, and treatment.Semin Oncol 35, no. 6 (December 2008): 633–42. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.seminoncol.2008.08.005.
Rao AV, Cohen HJ. Fatigue in older cancer patients: etiology, assessment, and treatment. Semin Oncol. 2008 Dec;35(6):633–42.
Rao, Arati V., and Harvey Jay Cohen. “Fatigue in older cancer patients: etiology, assessment, and treatment.Semin Oncol, vol. 35, no. 6, Dec. 2008, pp. 633–42. Pubmed, doi:10.1053/j.seminoncol.2008.08.005.
Rao AV, Cohen HJ. Fatigue in older cancer patients: etiology, assessment, and treatment. Semin Oncol. 2008 Dec;35(6):633–642.
Journal cover image

Published In

Semin Oncol

DOI

ISSN

0093-7754

Publication Date

December 2008

Volume

35

Issue

6

Start / End Page

633 / 642

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Quality of Life
  • Oncology & Carcinogenesis
  • Neoplasms
  • Humans
  • Fatigue
  • Aged
  • 3211 Oncology and carcinogenesis
  • 1112 Oncology and Carcinogenesis