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Cancer fatigue syndrome reflects clinically non-overt heart failure: an approach towards oncocardiology

Nature Clinical Practice Oncology volume 5, pages 632–633 (2008)Cite this article

Fatigue is a common symptom in patients with cancer who are undergoing treatment with cytotoxic agents, biologic response modifiers, or radiation therapy. Patients being treated for metastatic disease and those receiving multimodality or dose-intense treatments have particularly high incidence of fatigue. Cancer fatigue syndrome (CFS) is the combination of dyspnea, exercise limitation, and muscle weakness, and has profound effects on the physical, psychosocial, and economic and/or occupational aspects of a patient's quality of life.1 Although fatigue is one of the most distressing symptoms associated with cancer, it is under-reported to health-care providers and overlooked as a potentially treatable cause of therapy-related morbidity.1 An interdisciplinary approach is needed to challenge this underinvestigated field of patient care.

The true incidence of fatigue in patients with cancer remains unknown. Estimates range from 15–90% in patients with early cancer1 to over 75% in those with advanced cancer.2 These approximations have been made on the basis of a multitude of diagnostic criteria, however, some of which are imprecise or involve questionnaires that often reflect only those symptoms commonly present in advanced cancer.3

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Acknowledgements

We thank Thomas Suter for critically reviewing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SD Anker is head of the Division of Applied Cachexia Research, all in the Department of Cardiology, M Schünemann is a Research Fellow, and M Rauchhaus is the Scientific Director of the German Competence Network Heart Failure, Charité Medical School, Berlin, Germany.,

    Martin Schünemann, Stefan D Anker & Mathias Rauchhaus

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  1. Martin Schünemann
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  2. Stefan D Anker
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  3. Mathias Rauchhaus
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Correspondence to Mathias Rauchhaus.

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Schünemann, M., Anker, S. & Rauchhaus, M. Cancer fatigue syndrome reflects clinically non-overt heart failure: an approach towards oncocardiology. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 5, 632–633 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncponc1226

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