Factors Affecting Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of nutrition risk, physical activity, insomnia, anxiety, and depression on fatigue among breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.Methods: The participants of this study were 160 breast cancer patients at Yeungnam University Medical Center in South Korea. The data were collected from September to November 2022 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, the t-test, analysis of variance, the Mann-Whitney test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, the Bonferroni correction, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression with SPSS version 28.0.Results: The mean fatigue score was 18.44±7.30 points, while the scores for nutrition risk, insomnia, anxiety, and depression were 2.03±1.52, 5.43±4.79, 6.79±2.81, and 8.17±3.36 points, respectively. Physical activity was measured at 1366.49±1617.87 METs. The general characteristics of the participants showed significant differences in fatigue concerning pain (F=13.97, <i>p</i>=.001), duration of illness (t=-2.37, <i>p</i>=.019), and total radiation dose (t=-2.13, <i>p</i>=.035). Fatigue exhibited significant positive correlations with nutrition risk (r=.35, <i>p</i><.001), insomnia (r=.35, <i>p</i><.001), and anxiety (r=.35, <i>p</i><.001), and a significant negative correlation with physical activity (r=-.20, <i>p</i>=.012). In multiple regression analysis, the factors influencing fatigue were identified as nutrition risk (β=.28, <i>p</i><.001), duration of illness (β=.19, <i>p</i>=.005), depression (β=.23, <i>p</i>=.006), total radiation dose (β=.19, <i>p</i>=.005), and physical activity (β=-.14, <i>p</i>=.036).Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of addressing nutrition risk and depression in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Encouraging physical activity may also play a crucial role in managing fatigue in these patients. These findings could guide the development of targeted interventions to improve the well-being of breast cancer patients during radiotherapy.