Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2024 Jul 19;32(8):528.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08717-7.

The impact of non- and anthracycline-based chemotherapy on fatigue in breast cancer survivors: results from WF-97415

Nancy E Avis  1 , Beverly J Levine  2 , Heidi D Klepin  3 , Shannon L Mihalko  4 , Peter H Brubaker  4 , Tonya Moore  5 , Amy C Ladd  6 , Susan F Dent  7 , Mary Helen Hackney  8 , Bonnie Ky  9 , William O Ntim  10 , Lynne I Wagner  11 , Kathryn E Weaver  2 , W Gregory Hundley  6 ; UPBEAT study team
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

The impact of non- and anthracycline-based chemotherapy on fatigue in breast cancer survivors: results from WF-97415

Nancy E Avis et al. Support Care Cancer. .

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the differential effect of non- and anthracycline-based chemotherapy on fatigue over 12 months post-diagnosis among breast cancer survivors.

Methods: This study is based on a prospective Wake Forest NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) multicenter cohort study (WF-97415) of women with stage I to III breast cancer and non-cancer controls. Analyses compared those: 1) receiving, or 2) not receiving anthracycline chemotherapy, 3) receiving aromatase inhibitors (AIs) without chemotherapy, with 4) a comparator group without a history of cancer. In-person clinic assessments were conducted at: baseline (prior to chemotherapy or start of AI therapy), and 3 and 12 months after baseline. The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue scale was the primary outcome. Estimated least squares means by group using mixed models with a random subject effect, fixed effects of time and group, and the interaction between time and group was used to compare groups across time, controlling for age, comorbidities, and treatment variables.

Results: Among 284 women (mean age = 53.4 years, sd 11.9 years), there was a significant (p < 0.0001) group by time interaction, with a sharp increase in fatigue at 3 months in the two chemotherapy groups in comparison to the non-chemotherapy and non-cancer controls. The two chemotherapy groups did not significantly differ in fatigue at any time point.

Conclusion: Women with breast cancer who receive non- or anthracycline-based chemotherapy experience similar trends in and levels of fatigue within the first year of treatment and greater fatigue than women receiving AIs alone or women without breast cancer.

Keywords: Anthracycline; Breast neoplasm; Chemotherapy; Fatigue; Longitudinal.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Estimated mean fatigue scores, with standard errors, by group and visit, adjusted for age, race, and comorbidities
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Bower JE, Ganz PA, Desmond KA, Rowland JH, Meyerowitz BE, Belin TR (2000) Fatigue in breast cancer survivors: occurrence, correlates, and impact on quality of life. J Clin Oncol 18(4):743–753 10.1200/JCO.2000.18.4.743 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bower JE, Bak K, Berger A, Breitbart W, Escalante CP, Ganz PA et al (2014) Screening, assessment, and management of fatigue in adult survivors of cancer: an American Society of Clinical oncology clinical practice guideline adaptation. J Clin Oncol 32(17):1840–1850. 10.1200/jco.2013.53.4495 10.1200/jco.2013.53.4495 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lawrence DP, Kupelnick B, Miller K, Devine D, Lau J (2004) Evidence report on the occurrence, assessment, and treatment of fatigue in cancer patients. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 32:40–50. 10.1093/jncimonographs/lgh02710.1093/jncimonographs/lgh027 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mitchell SA (2010) Cancer-related fatigue: state of the science. PM R 2(5):364–383. 10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.03.024 10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.03.024 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andrykowski MA, Schmidt JE, Salsman JM, Beacham AO, Jacobsen PB (2005) Use of a case definition approach to identify cancer-related fatigue in women undergoing adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 23(27):6613–6622. 10.1200/JCO.2005.07.024 10.1200/JCO.2005.07.024 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources