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Associations of three differential white blood cell counts, platelet counts, and their derived inflammatory indices with cancer-related fatigue in patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy

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Abstract

Purpose

Inflammation is thought to be a vital element in the etiology of cancer-related fatigue (CRF), and circulating blood cell parameters could be important markers of inflammatory response. However, the associations of several major blood cell counts and their derived inflammatory indices with CRF are not well described. The present study aimed to establish whether a relationship exists between the counts of three white blood cell (WBC) types, platelets, and CRF and investigate whether several systemic inflammatory indices were associated with CRF in patients with breast cancer (BC).

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 824 patients with BC undergoing chemotherapy. The cancer fatigue scale was administered to assess CRF. Hematological indicators, including neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and platelets, were retrieved from routine blood test. Network analyses were used to examine the associations among them.

Results

Among 824 participants, the mean score of CRF was (27 ± 10), ranging from 0 to 57. The results of network models indicated that physical fatigue was negatively linked to lymphocyte counts (weight =  − 0.161), and affective fatigue was positively associated with neutrophil counts (weight = 0.070). Additionally, physical fatigue was positively linked to the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (weight = 0.049).

Conclusion

There were preliminary associations of counts of three WBC types, platelet counts, and systemic inflammatory indices, with distinct dimensions of CRF in patients with BC. Findings provide empirical support for the cellular basis of fatigue-associated inflammatory states.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful for the generous contributions of the research participants and the staffs who assisted with data collection during the study.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82272923).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Shandong University, 44 Wenhua West Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, P.R. China

    Guopeng Li, Di Zhao, Rui Qin, Xiangyu Zhao & Ping Li

  2. Department of Breast Surgery, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, 250117, P.R. China

    Zhijun Huo

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  1. Guopeng Li
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Guopeng Li: conceptualization, data acquisition, and writing–original draft. Di Zhao: data collection, and review and editing. Rui Qin: data collection and statistical analysis. Xiangyu Zhao: statistical analysis and review and editing. Zhijun Huo: conceptualization, methodology, project administration, and review and editing. Ping Li: supervision, funding acquisition, writing–original draft, and review and editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Zhijun Huo or Ping Li.

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The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the University Human Research Ethics Committee (Approval No. 2020-R-053).

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Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study.

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Li, G., Zhao, D., Qin, R. et al. Associations of three differential white blood cell counts, platelet counts, and their derived inflammatory indices with cancer-related fatigue in patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Support Care Cancer 32, 486 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08700-2

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