Many cancer patients experience fatigue at before, during and after treatment. Studies show that 20-90% of cancer patients on active treatment experience symptoms of fatigue, and 20-80% of survivors report fatigue after finishing treatment. Cancer-related fatigue can be unpredictable because a patient may feel energized one day but fatigued another without any change in activity or rest patterns.

1. Cancer-Related Fatigue
Today’s Moderator:
Dana Nolan, MS LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor

2. Why Am I So Tired?
From diagnosis through to the post-treatment
phase of cancer, many patients report
overwhelming feelings of fatigue.
Why?
Treatment effects: Surgical procedures,
chemotherapy and radiation.
Pain or pain medicine effects
Medication side effects: Anti-nausea
Anemia
Poor sleep
Depression, anxiety or both
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3. Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF)
CRF is different than just being tired because
of a bad night’s sleep or physical work.
It’s a persistent, subjective sense of tiredness
related to cancer or its treatment that
interferes with normal functioning.
It is not relieved by sleep or resting, and it is
not related to physical exertion.
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4. Prevalence
Studies have indicated that cancer patients
report significant levels of fatigue at all
phases of diagnosis and treatment.
The level of fatigue reported may vary by
diagnosis and treatment type, but fatigue is
commonly reported in mesothelioma
patients.
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5. Prevalence (cont.)
Cancer-related fatigue is reported by 70-
80% of patients in clinical trials.
About 80% of cancer patients treated with
chemotherapy or radiation therapy in the
outpatient setting report fatigue.
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6. Time Frame
Cancer-related fatigue can occur before
diagnosis, and it can be a factor that leads
to a patient seeking medical attention.
It can last during treatment and after
treatment for many months.
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7. Treating CRF
Work with your oncologist to find the cause
of CRF:
Anemia
Poorly treated pain
Shortness of breath
Muscle-wasting
Poor sleep
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8. Treating CRF (cont.)
Monitor your energy levels throughout the
day and throughout your treatment cycle.
Ration your energy like money that you have
to budget.
Re-evaluate what is really meaningful to
you and spend your energy on those
activities.
(877) 626-5916

9. Exercise
Researchers are increasing their studies on
the benefits of mild to moderate exercise
during cancer treatment.
Walking
Yoga
Light weight training
A sedentary lifestyle and muscle loss
worsens CRF.
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10. Diet
In a recent study involving breast cancer
patients, CRF significantly dropped when
patients followed a special diet for three
months.
Fruit
Vegetables
Whole grains
Omega-3 fatty acid foods: Salmon, mackerel, walnuts,
oysters, mussels, squid, soybeans and spinach. Many
diary products, such as eggs, yogurt, milk and margarine,
are now fortified with omega-3.
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11. Diet (cont.)
Caution: This study was small but well
designed. Because all participants were
breast cancer patients, results can’t be
generalized to all cancers, including
mesothelioma.
However, it shows researchers are very
interested in looking at how diet can
reduce CRF.
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12. References
Hofman, M.H. et al. (2007). Cancer-Related
Fatigue: The Scale of the Problem. The
Oncologist, 12, 4-10.
Zick, S.M. (2017). Fatigue reduction diet in
breast cancer survivors: A pilot randomized
clinical trial. Breast Research and Treatment,
161(2), 299-310.
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13. Contact Information
1-877-626-5916
(877) 626-5916
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@TheMesoCenter