Changes in Fatigue, Psychological Distress, and Quality of Life After Chemotherapy in Women with Breast Cancer: A Prospective Study

Background Chemotherapy leads to various symptoms and psychological distress, which contribute to a significant decrease in the quality of life of the patients. Objectives The aim of this study was to identify changes and interrelationships in the fatigue-depression-anxiety symptom cluster and quality of life during the cancer care trajectory in women with breast cancer. Methods Fifty women participated in the study and completed questionnaires at 3 different times: prechemotherapy, postchemotherapy, and 6 months after the completion of chemotherapy. The assessment tools were the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Fatigue Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Breast Cancer version 4 Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive and repeated-measures analysis of variance statistics. Results A significant increase in fatigue (F = 41.95, P
Source: Cancer Nursing - Category: Nursing Tags: ARTICLES: ONLINE ONLY Source Type: research