ABSTRACT
Fatigue is a common and frequently disabling symptom in cancer patients. Fatigue may be caused by the disease itself, by treatment for the disease, by physical symptoms or conditions resulting from the disease or its treatment. The aim of this study was to assess fatigue and related factors in breast cancer patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 119 random samples of breast cancer patients. The Iranian version of QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires were used. Univariate methods and multiple regression analysis were performed to identify predictors of fatigue. Overall, 78% of the patients indicated that they were experiencing fatigue to some degree. The mean score on the fatigue subscale was 41.74 +/- 26.91. Of all functional subscales, fatigue showed the strongest influence on social functioning. Linear regression analyses showed that total fatigue was best predicted by pain, appetite loss, body image and type of treatment. Our results support the notion that fatigue in cancer patients is a major problem, which deserved yet more attention from health professionals, and that quality of life in cancer patients might be improved markedly by interventions that effectively reduce fatigue
ABSTRACT
Cancer is considered among the second largest groups of noncommunicable diseases and the third cause of death in Iran. Ranking in the top ten cancers in the world. Espophagus cancer comes out on the sixth place. This study examines the epidemiology of esophagus cancer in Fars cancer registry. This was a descriptive -analytic study of cases of esophagus cancer registered in Fars between 2001 and 2005. Data were analyzed using t-student and chi square tests. Overall 161 cancer patients had been registered. 61.5% were males. Mean age at diagnosis was 61.9 [SD= 13.07]. 91.3% were married. Fars ethnic background accounted for 55.3% of the patients. Males and females were mainly farmers and housewives respectively. There was a history of smoking in 52.6% of the cases. Grade of tumor at diagnosis for most patients was well-differentiated. According to our follow-up, the disease resulted in death in 57.1% of the cases. Our results indicate the importance of eliminating risk factors for cancer of the esophagus including smoking and family history. Early detection of the disease in primary stages is also emphasized