Cancer-related fatigue and its determinants in a cohort of women with breast cancer: the DAMA Cohort

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most prolonged discomforts suffered by people who have had cancer. Seventy-eight to ninety-six percent of cancer patients experience fatigue, especially while undergoing treatment. CRF is related to insomnia, anxiety, depression, and also varies depending on age. However, little is known about the factors contributing to CRF and better understanding of determinants of CRF makes it easier to identify early patients at risk and in designing intervention planning. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of precipitating factors (diagnosis of breast cancer and other clinical aspects) and perpetuating factors (social network, quality of life, mental disorders) on the presence of chronic fatigue in women from our cultural context, by social class each other determinants. It was carried out a mixed cohort study (prospective and retrospective) using a convenience sample of women diagnosed with breast cancer. The information sources were data from the Brief Fatigue Inventory questionnaire and hospital medical records. The dependent variable was fatigue and the independent variables were age, social class, time since diagnoses, cohabitation, comorbidity, relapse, body mass index, mental health (anxiety and depression), social network, social support, and quality of life. Seventy-two percent of the women in the DAMA cohort reported moderate to severe fatigue. Risk of suffering from severe fatigue was greatest among individuals with low social class, those aged under 50 years, those with chronic disorders who had relapsed, and those with symptoms of anxiety and depression. In our study, CRF did not appear to be related to the stage of the cancer at diagnosis, or to the time since diagnosis. CRF is an element that the professionals responsible for the control and monitoring of women should take into account as another element to be taken into consideration.