Researchers set out to determine if fatigue amongst long-term ovarian cancer survivors could be associated with other health outcomes. They followed 473 long term survivors (LTS). LTS were defined as being diagnosed with ovarian cancer more than 8 years prior.
They found that of all the LTS, 44.5% experienced fatigue at some point, and 23.4% reported present day lingering fatigue. The fatigue was not associated with current treatments (chemotherapy, radiation) or age.
Of the group experiencing fatigue, 58.6% developed a cancer recurrence, whereas the group without fatigue had 41.2% develop recurrent disease. LTS with fatigue also reported worse health outcomes and more medical complaints such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, weight loss and bloating. Those with fatigue were also more likely to have comorbid disorders such as cognitive disorders, depression, polyneuropathy and cardiovascular disease.
Given the association of worse outcomes in the long-term ovarian cancer survivors with fatigue, it warrants further investigation and close monitoring in the cancer survivorship population.
If you are a cancer survivor experiencing fatigue and would like to develop a comprehensive survivorship plan for optimal health and prevention of recurrence please speak to one of our naturopathic oncology focused doctors.
Source: Oncology Times