One
in five breast cancer survivors experience fatigue following diagnosis and treatment for the following ten years. Even
more women, one third, considered cancer free after treatment say even though they don't have cancer they are lacking
energy, feel week, in the first five years or second five years of the decade following diagnosis. The study looks at
the quality of life for these women, who have undergone an intense life experience already. It has been stated
that the study was well
done, but it is hard to determine exactly what is causing the long term fatigue.Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
Breast cancer survivors experience fatigue decade later
One
in five breast cancer survivors experience fatigue following diagnosis and treatment for the following ten years. Even
more women, one third, considered cancer free after treatment say even though they don't have cancer they are lacking
energy, feel week, in the first five years or second five years of the decade following diagnosis. The study looks at
the quality of life for these women, who have undergone an intense life experience already. It has been stated
that the study was well
done, but it is hard to determine exactly what is causing the long term fatigue.Reader Comments
(Page 1)2. Even standard-dose chemotherapy can negatively impact the cognitive functioning of cancer survivors up to 10 years after treatment, a study from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center finds.
The study -- the first of its kind to compare the neuropsychological effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy on long-term cancer survivors -- determined that people treated with chemotherapy scored significantly lower on tests for memory, concentration, and psychomotor functioning (ability to integrate different types of information) than patients who received only radiation therapy or surgery. Previous studies have suggested that cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy experience cognitive deficits in the short-term after treatment and up to two years following treatment.
"We wanted to study long-term cancer survivors to see if the secondary effects of chemotherapy on cognitive functioning could be detected many years after treatment and our results suggest that they can," said Tim A. Ahles, Ph.D., lead study author, and Professor of Psychiatry and Program Director of the Center for Psycho-Oncology Research at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. "The cognitive effects of chemotherapy on patients were relatively subtle and most of the scores fell within the normal range of performance. However, patients tell their physicians that these changes are very recognizable."
Patients were given a standard neuropsychological assessment in nine areas including verbal ability, visual and verbal memory, and motor functioning. Participants also completed questionnaires on anxiety, fatigue, depression, and memory functions.
Results reveal that 85 percent of study participants received only one type of chemotherapy regimen. Survivors who were treated with chemotherapy scored significantly lower on the neuropsychological assessment compared to those treated with only radiation therapy or surgery across multiple domains, particularly in the areas of verbal memory and psychomotor functioning.
Reports of depression, anxiety, and fatigue, all of which can affect cognitive functioning, did not differ between the groups. This suggests that the differences in performance on the cognitive tests were due to the chemotherapy itself, not to greater levels of depression, anxiety, and fatigue in patients who received chemotherapy.
Journal of Clinical Oncology
January 15, 2002
Posted at 1:23PM on Jan 12th 2006 by Gregory D. Pawelski
1. I think it will take a lot of timeto discover what's causing causing the long term fatigue.
Posted at 7:00AM on Jan 12th 2006 by Proc