Fatigue

Fatigue (PDQ) (National Cancer Institute)
Addresses fatigue, its causes, and factors related to fatigue. Discusses its assessment and treatment. Post treatment considerations are also addressed. Patient and physician versions available. [5/07]

Cancer-related Fatigue (CancerSymptoms.org)
Offers basic information on cancer and chemotherapy-induced anemia and fatigue. Provides advice on how to manage fatigue, including strategies for energy conservation and how to talk to your doctor/nurse and employer. Discusses various therapies for treating cancer-related fatigue. [undated]

Resolving the Frustration of Fatigue (American Cancer Society)
by Wendy S. Harpham, MD
v.49 CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians (1999): 178-189
Describes how cancer-related fatigue can persist following treatment and affect family dynamics, job responsibilities, social interactions, finances, and intimacy. Advises clinicians to search for treatable medical conditions, and to take fatigue and its frustrations seriously. Reassures patients that the fatigue they feel is real and that by personal energy conservation, they should be able to improve their abilities to function, to socialize, to interact with others, and ultimately to adjust to a "new normal" baseline. [5/99]
An updated patient version of Dr. Harpham's excellent discussion of fatigue, entitled "Dealing with Cancer-related Fatigue," can be found in the premier issue of CURE. [2002]

Sleeping with the Enemy: Treatment of Fatigue in Individuals with Cancer (The Oncologist)
by Robert H. Wharton, MD
v.7, no. 2 The Oncologist (April 2002): 96-99
Excellent, comprehensive article by lung cancer patient and physician, Rob Wharton, addressing the impact and treatment of cancer-related fatigue. Examines the medical conditions that cause fatigue in cancer patients, and elucidates the problems it creates in the lives of patients and their families. Discusses the potential benefits of using psycho-stimulant medication to treat fatigue. [4/02]

Cancer-Fatigue (Association of Cancer Online Resources)
Online discussion group for cancer patients dealing with fatigue.

Exercise in Cancer-Related Fatigue Management (Medscape)
Reports research studies presented at the 2001 Oncology Nursing Society meeting on the use of exercise for managing cancer-related fatigue. One study found that patients suffering from cancer treatment-related fatigue can benefit from a prescribed exercise regimen. The study exercise program helped patients to overcome, manage, or reduce fatigue after, or even during, chemotherapy and radiation. [5/01]