Distress and Factors Associated with Suicidal Ideation in Veterans Living with Cancer.

BACKGROUNDS AND OBJECTIVES: Eliminating veteran suicide is a top priority for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Veterans with cancer may be at particular risk for suicidal ideation (SI). The current study aimed to understand factors associated with distress in veterans with cancer who were referred for psychology services, and identify problems associated with SI. METHODS: Health records of veterans with cancer (N = 174) were reviewed to abstract data, including results of National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress Thermometer and Problems List and clinical suicide risk assessments. RESULTS: Veterans with severe distress were significantly more likely to endorse SI and have a history of suicide attempt(s) when compared with veterans with mild or moderate distress (χ2 = 18.36, P < .001). Of the problems endorsed on the NCCN Problems List, family problems were most strongly linked to SI (χ2 = 5.54, degrees of freedom [df] = 1, P = .02). Specifically, veterans who endorsed problems with their partner were 5 times more likely to experience SI when compared with veterans who did not endorse this problem (Wald = 15.142; df = 1, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This study is among the first to find partner problems as a suicide risk factor for veterans with cancer; and, underscore the importance of assessing for partner problems and suicidal ideation among veterans with cancer. This study supports the VA mission to end veteran suicide and addresses a gap in current literature by investigating the understudied population of veterans living with cancer and risk factors for SI.

Mental health utilization among veterans at risk for suicide: Data from a post-deployment clinic.

The current study aim was to examine mental health characteristics in a sample of returning OEF/OIF/OND veterans initially enrolling in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care (N = 1,307), with a particular focus on a subgroup considered at risk for suicide (N = 445). Methods included examination of mental health screening measures and clinical interview data from a VA postdeployment clinic. Half of the sample met criteria for a mental health disorder, whereas 10% reported current suicidal or death ideation (e.g., thoughts of being better off dead or hurting oneself in some way) and 6% reported a history of suicide attempt. Sixty-eight percent of the at-risk subgroup accepted a referral for mental health treatment and a promising majority (78%) of those individuals attended their initial specialty mental health visit. At-risk veterans who accepted mental health referral were more likely to report current suicidal/death ideation; they were also more likely to have a diagnosis of a depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorder. Factors associated with mental health appointment attendance included older age, being enrolled in college, and more years of military service. Results highlight the importance of early screening and referral to appropriate mental health follow-up. Implications for clinical practice and increasing engagement in VA mental health services among veterans at risk for suicide are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Suicidal Ideation among Veterans Living with Cancer Referred to Mental Health.

Objectives: Eliminating Veteran suicide is a top priority for the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA). This study identified factors associated with suicidal ideation (SI) among a rarely studied subgroup of Veterans: those with cancer.Methods: Veterans (age M = 61.83) with cancer (N= 175) referred for psychological evaluation completed measures of pain, sleep, depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. SI was defined by endorsing on paper-and-pencil questionnaire thoughts of killing oneself in the past 2 weeks or during clinical interview.Results: 25.1% reported SI. Compared to those without SI, Veterans with SI had higher ratings on measures of depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. History of suicide attempt(s) was included in the model due to clinical significance. Logistic regression was performed with these variables as predictors of SI. The omnibus model was significant (p< .001). However, only anhedonia and depressed mood had a statistically significant contribution to the model (ß = 0.540, p= .001).Conclusions: Anhedonia and depressed mood predicted SI among Veterans with cancer above and beyond other risk factors.Clinical Implications: This study's findings highlight the importance of incorporating suicide risk screenings in oncology clinics across VA medical centers.

Pain and psychiatric comorbidities among two groups of Iraq and Afghanistan era Veterans.

This study aimed to (1) identify the prevalence and severity of pain and psychiatric comorbidities among personnel who had been deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) and (2) assess whether the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Polytrauma System of Care and an OIF/OEF/OND registry reflect real differences among patients. Participants (N = 359) were recruited from two VA hospitals. They completed a clinical interview, structured diagnostic interview, and self-report measures. Results indicated pain was the most common complaint, with 87 percent experiencing pain during the prior week and 56 percent reporting moderate or severe pain. Eighty percent of participants met criteria for at least one of seven assessed comorbid problems (moderate or severe pain, postconcussional disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], anxiety disorder, mood disorder, substance use disorder, psychosis), and 59 percent met criteria for two or more problems. PTSD and postconcussional disorder rarely occurred in the absence of pain or other comorbidities (0.3% and 0%, respectively). The Polytrauma group had more comorbid psychiatric conditions (χ(2) = 48.67, p < 0.05) and reported greater severity of symptoms (p < 0.05) than the Registry group. This study confirmed the high prevalence of pain and concurrent mental health problems among personnel returning from military deployment.

Validity of Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale in a sample of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans.

OBJECTIVES: Optimal depression screening necessitates measurement tools that are valid across varied populations and in the presence of comorbidities. METHODS: This study assessed the test properties of two versions of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale against psychiatric diagnoses established by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview among a clinical sample of US Veterans deployed during Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn. Participants (N = 359) recruited from two Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals completed a clinical interview, structured diagnostic interview, and self-reported measures. RESULTS: Based on diagnostic interview and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition criteria, 29.5% of the sample met diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder and 26.5% met diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. Both Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-20 and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-10 scales performed well and almost identically against the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview-major depressive disorder in identifying Veterans with major depressive disorder (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-20 area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve 91%; Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-10 area under the ROC curve 90%). Overall, higher cut points for the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scales performed better in correctly identifying true positives and true negatives for major depressive disorder (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-20 cut point 18+ sensitivity 92% specificity 72%; Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-10 cut point 10+ sensitivity 92% specificity 69%). CONCLUSIONS: The specificity of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scales was poor among Veterans with co-occurring post-traumatic stress disorder (13% and 16%). Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who have a positive depression screen should have a more thorough assessment of mental health symptoms and comorbidities, rather than immediate diagnosis of and treatment for depression.

Sex differences between Veterans participating in interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation.

The improved management of pain among the growing number of female Veterans receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration has been established as a priority, but studies suggest that females may respond differently to pain treatment. This study explored differences between female and male Veterans engaged in a Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program and determined how female and male Veterans change following participation. Veterans (N = 324) in a 3 wk inpatient program completed self-report measures at admission, discharge, and 3 mo follow-up. Participants were 21% female (n = 67) and 79% male (n = 257). Compared with males, females were younger and less likely to be white or married/partnered. Females reported shorter pain duration and were more likely to have primary head or limb pain. At admission, fewer females were prescribed opioids than males and at lower doses. After opioid cessation in the program, however, there were no significant differences in use between the sexes at follow-up. Improvements in a range of domains were sustained at follow-up for both sexes, but females did not maintain gains in pain intensity or sleep while males reported more pain-related fear at discharge and follow-up. This study adds to the literature on sex-specific variations in chronic pain and implications for treatment.

Psychosocial resources and sleep disturbance before chemotherapy for gynecologic cancer.

Personal psychosocial resources (e.g., positive affect, social support, perceived mastery, meaning in life) are associated with better sleep in noncancer populations, but there have been few studies in cancer patients. The present study examined psychosocial resources and sleep in gynecological cancer patients. Before chemotherapy, 72 participants completed self-report measures of sleep and psychosocial resources; 63 also completed actigraphic monitoring. Subjective sleep was associated with positive affect, social support, perceived mastery, and meaning in life; objective sleep was associated with social support. Future studies should examine whether interventions to enhance psychosocial resources result in improved sleep in this population.

Cognitive functioning in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Prior research examining the impact of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer on cognitive performance has found inconsistent relationships. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the existing literature and determine the effect of ADT on performance across seven cognitive domains using meta-analysis. METHODS: A search of PubMed Medline, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and Web of Knowledge/Science databases yielded 157 unique abstracts reviewed by independent pairs of raters. Fourteen studies with a total of 417 patients treated with ADT were included in the meta-analysis. Objective neuropsychological tests were categorized into seven cognitive domains: attention/working memory, executive functioning, language, verbal memory, visual memory, visuomotor ability, and visuospatial ability. RESULTS: Separate effect sizes were calculated for each cognitive domain using pairwise comparisons of patients who received ADT with (1) prostate cancer patient controls, (2) noncancer controls, or (3) ADT patients' own pre-ADT baselines. Patients treated with ADT performed worse than controls or their own baseline on visuomotor tasks (g = -0.67, p = .008; n = 193). The magnitude of the deficits was larger in studies with a shorter time to follow-up (p = .04). No significant effect sizes were observed for the other six cognitive domains (p = .08-.98). CONCLUSIONS: Prostate cancer patients who received ADT performed significantly worse on visuomotor tasks compared to noncancer control groups. These findings are consistent with the known effects of testosterone on cognitive functioning in healthy men. Knowledge of the cognitive effects of ADT may help patients and providers better understand the impact of ADT on quality of life.

Sleep disruption in hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients: prevalence, severity, and clinical management.

Sleep disruption is common among hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients, with over 50% of recipients experiencing sleep disruption pre-transplant, with up to 82% of patients experiencing moderate to severe sleep disruption during hospitalization for transplant and up to 43% after transplant. These rates of sleep disruption are substantially higher than what we see in the general population. Although sleep disruption can be distressing to patients and contribute to diminished quality of life, it is rarely discussed during clinical visits. The goal of the current review is to draw attention to sleep disruption and disorders (ie, insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome) as a clinical problem in HCT in order to facilitate patient education, intervention, and research. We identified 35 observational studies published in the past decade that examined sleep disruption or disorders in HCT. Most studies utilized a single item measure of sleep, had small sample size, and included heterogeneous samples of patients. Six studies of the effects of psychosocial and exercise interventions on sleep in HCT have reported no significant improvements. These results highlight the need for rigorous observational and interventional studies of sleep disruption and disorders in HCT recipients..

Lagged relationships among sleep disturbance, fatigue, and depressed mood during chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: Recent research suggests that sleep disturbance, fatigue, and depressed mood form a symptom cluster in patients treated with chemotherapy. To date, however, no studies have examined lagged relationships among these symptoms during chemotherapy, a time when symptom variability is high. The aim of the current study was to examine lagged changes among daily symptoms during platinum-based chemotherapy. METHOD: Participants were 78 women with gynecologic cancer (mean age 63 years, SD = 11; 91% Caucasian, 97% non-Hispanic). Sleep disturbance was assessed via wrist actigraphy, whereas fatigue and depressed mood were assessed via daily diary in the week after participants' first chemotherapy infusion. Latent change score models (LCS) were used to examine lagged relationships between symptom pairs. RESULTS: High levels of sleep disturbance (i.e., minutes awake at night) were associated with earlier subsequent peaks in fatigue, and high levels of fatigue were associated with higher subsequent levels of depressed mood. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that sleep disturbance, fatigue, and depressed mood occur in a cascade pattern during chemotherapy, in which increases in sleep disturbance contribute to fatigue, which, in turn, contributes to depressed mood. Interventions targeting symptoms early in the cascade, such as sleep disturbance, may provide benefits across multiple downstream symptoms.

Factors associated with breast cancer worry 3 years after completion of adjuvant treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Although many survivors continue to worry about cancer years after completing treatment, little is known about factors associated with cancer worry. This study examined associations between breast cancer worry and demographic and clinical variables, as well as fatigue, symptom burden, and risk perception in a sample of breast cancer survivors 3 years post-adjuvant treatment. We hypothesized that after controlling for demographic and treatment factors, a significant proportion of variance in cancer worry would be explained by greater fatigue severity, more symptom burden, and greater perceived risk of recurrence. METHODS: Stage 0-II breast cancer patients (N = 202) completed measures of risk perception, cancer worry (modified Lerman's Cancer Worry Scale), symptom burden (Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale), and fatigue severity (Fatigue Symptom Inventory) 3 years after completing adjuvant treatment. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine the proportion of variance in cancer worry accounted for by fatigue, symptom burden, and risk perception after controlling for demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: Age, fatigue, symptom burden, and risk perception each explained a significant proportion of variance in cancer worry (p < 0.05). Fatigue, symptom burden, and risk perception together accounted for 27% of the variance in cancer worry after controlling for demographic and clinical factors (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The hypothesis was supported that fatigue, symptom burden, and risk perception are associated with cancer worry among breast cancer survivors. It is possible that lingering fatigue and other symptoms may remind breast cancer survivors of their disease.

Effects of self-directed stress management training and home-based exercise on quality of life in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that self-directed stress management training improves mental well-being in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The present study extends this work by evaluating separate and combined effects of stress management training and home-based exercise. METHOD: Following assessment of mental and physical well-being, depression, anxiety, exercise, and stress reduction activity before chemotherapy started, patients were randomized to stress management training (SM), exercise (EX), combined stress management and exercise (SMEX), or usual care only (UCO). Outcomes were reassessed 6 and 12 weeks after chemotherapy started. Significance testing of group-by-time interactions in 286 patients who completed all assessments was used to evaluate intervention efficacy. RESULTS: Interaction effects for mental and physical well-being scores were not significant. Depression scores yielded a linear interaction comparing UCO and SMEX (p = 0.019), with decreases in SMEX but not UCO. Anxiety scores yielded a quadratic interaction comparing UCO and SMEX (p = 0.049), with trends for changes in SMEX but not UCO. Additional analyses yielded quadratic interactions for exercise activity comparing UCO and SMEX (p = 0.022), with positive changes in SMEX but not UCO, and for stress management activity comparing UCO and SM (p < 0.001) and UCO and SMEX (p = 0.013), with positive changes in SM and SMEX but not UCO. CONCLUSION: Only the combined intervention yielded effects on quality of life outcomes, and these were limited to anxiety and depression. These findings are consistent with evidence that only the combined intervention yielded increases in both exercise and stress management activity. Future research should investigate ways to augment this intervention to enhance its benefits.

Quality of life outcomes in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors: a controlled comparison.

PURPOSE: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are now standard treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). While TKIs have less toxicity than previous treatments, they have side effects that can impact quality of life (QOL). METHODS: This study compared CML patients taking a TKI for an average of 4.01 years (range 0.50-9.79 years) to age- and gender-matched controls with no history of cancer on measures of symptom burden, depression, fatigue, sleep, and health-related QOL. RESULTS: Compared to controls (n = 62), CML patients (n = 62) taking a TKI (imatinib 55 %, nilotinib 31 %, and dasatinib 14 %) reported significantly worse fatigue severity (p < .001), fatigue interference (p < .001), depression (p = .007), symptom burden (p < .001), and physical QOL (p < .001). TKI patients were also more likely meet established cutoffs for clinically meaningful fatigue (p values < .001) and depression (p = .004). There were no differences in mental QOL or sleep (p values > .010). Regarding specific symptoms, TKI patients were more likely to report nausea, diarrhea, itching, skin changes, swelling of arms or legs, and not looking like themselves (p values < .001). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest the need for interventions to address QOL in CML patients taking TKIs.

Comparing the retrospective reports of fatigue using the Fatigue Symptom Index with daily diary ratings in women receiving chemotherapy for gynecologic cancer.

CONTEXT: Fatigue, one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy, is typically assessed via retrospective recall (e.g., over the past week). It is unknown how such retrospective recall of fatigue correlates with daily ratings among people receiving chemotherapy. OBJECTIVES: The current study compared fatigue recorded in daily diaries with retrospective ratings using the Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) in patients receiving chemotherapy for gynecologic cancer. METHODS: During the week before and the week after their first infusion of chemotherapy, patients completed daily diaries at 10 AM, 2, and 6 PM and the FSI at the end of each week. RESULTS: FSI and diary ratings of peak, lowest, and average fatigue were significantly correlated (P < 0.001). When peak, end, average, and variance diary ratings were regressed separately on the average FSI item, each was significant pre-chemotherapy (P < 0.01) and post-chemotherapy (P < 0.05). However, when entered into a stepwise regression model, only the average fatigue diary rating was retained, explaining 52% of the variance pre-chemotherapy and 54% of the variance post-chemotherapy average FSI item (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The FSI keyed to the past week accurately reflects daily ratings of fatigue among patients receiving chemotherapy. This study has important implications, as completing retrospective ratings of fatigue may be less burdensome for cancer patients than daily assessments.

Effects of self-directed stress management training and home-based exercise on stress management skills in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Although exercise may be used by some to decrease distress, little is known about how it may contribute to stress management (SM) among patients receiving chemotherapy. We evaluated whether exercise separately or in combination with SM training is effective at increasing perceived ability to manage stress. Patients receiving chemotherapy (N = 391) were randomized to receive usual care only (UCO), SM, exercise (EX), or stress management and exercise (SMEX). They completed the Measure of Current Status prior to receiving chemotherapy and 12 weeks after the first infusion. We hypothesized that participants randomized to an intervention condition would report improvements in relaxation, awareness of tension, getting needs met and coping confidence compared with those receiving UCO. Results indicated significant group-by-time interactions for the following: relaxation (UCO versus SM, p = 0.008), awareness of tension (UCO versus SMEX, p = 0.029 and UCO versus EX, p < 0.001), getting needs met (UCO versus SMEX, p = 0.020) and Measure of Current Status total score (UCO versus SMEX, p = 0.007 and UCO versus EX, p = 0.016). There were no group-by-time interactions for coping confidence (p-values >0.05). This study provides support for including an exercise component in SM interventions for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00740038).

Meta-analysis of cognitive functioning in breast cancer survivors previously treated with standard-dose chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Evidence is mixed regarding long-term cognitive deficits in patients treated with chemotherapy. Previous meta-analyses have not focused specifically on the postchemotherapy period and have not incorporated several recent studies. The goal of the current study was to conduct a meta-analysis of cognitive functioning in breast cancer survivors who were treated with chemotherapy ≥ 6 months previously. METHODS: A search of PubMed, PsycInfo, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Cochrane Library yielded 2,751 abstracts, which were independently evaluated by pairs of raters. Meta-analysis was conducted on 17 studies of 807 patients previously treated with standard-dose chemotherapy for breast cancer. Neuropsychological tests were categorized according to eight cognitive domains: attention, executive functioning, information processing, motor speed, verbal ability, verbal memory, visual memory, and visuospatial ability. RESULTS: Deficits in cognitive functioning were observed in patients treated with chemotherapy relative to controls or prechemotherapy baseline in the domains of verbal ability (g = -0.19; P < .01) and visuospatial ability (g = -0.27; P < .01). Patients treated with chemotherapy performed worse than noncancer controls in verbal ability and worse than patients treated without chemotherapy in visuospatial ability (both P < .01). Age, education, time since treatment, and endocrine therapy did not moderate observed cognitive deficits in verbal ability or visuospatial ability (all P ≥ .51). CONCLUSION: Results indicate that, on average, observed cognitive deficits in patients with breast cancer previously treated with chemotherapy are small in magnitude and limited to the domains of verbal ability and visuospatial ability. This information can be used to inform interventions to educate patients with breast cancer regarding the long-term impact of chemotherapy on cognitive functioning.

Genetic predictors of fatigue in prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy: preliminary findings.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a common and distressing side effect of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer. The goal of the current study was to examine the relationship between changes in fatigue following initiation of ADT and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in three pro-inflammatory cytokine genes: interleukin-1 beta (IL1B), interleukin-6 (IL6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFA). METHODS: As part of a larger study, men with prostate cancer (n = 53) were recruited prior to initiation of ADT. Fatigue was assessed at recruitment and 6 months after initiation of ADT. DNA was extracted from blood drawn at baseline. RESULTS: Patients with the IL6-174 (rs1800795) G/C or C/C genotype displayed greater increases in fatigue intrusiveness, frequency, and duration than the G/G genotype (p values ≤ 0.05), although inclusion of age, race, and baseline depressive symptomatology in the model attenuated these relationships (p values ≤ 0.09). Patients with the TNFA-308 (rs1800629) G/A genotype showed greater increases in fatigue severity than the G/G genotype (p = 0.02). IL1B-511 (rs16944) genotype did not significantly predict changes in fatigue (p values >0.46). Patients with higher numbers of variants displayed greater increases in fatigue duration and interference (p values ≤ 0.02) than patients with lower numbers of variants. CONCLUSIONS: Prostate cancer patients treated with ADT who carry variant alleles of the IL6 and TNFA genes are susceptible to heightened fatigue. These preliminary data lend support for the role of genetic variation in the development of cancer-related fatigue secondary to ADT. Findings are relevant to attempts to develop personalized approaches to cancer treatment.

Factors related to health locus of control among lung transplant candidates.

As the number of individuals pursuing lung transplantation to treat lung disease increases, transplant team members have an opportunity to maximize patients' chances for post-transplant success through identifying and addressing psychosocial factors that have been previously associated with patients' post-transplant survival, such as health locus of control (HLC). The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to understand the factors associated with HLC in lung transplant candidates. The aims were to (i) identify the demographic factors associated with internal (IHLC), chance (CHLC), and powerful others (PHLC) HLC; (ii) examine the associations between HLC and anxiety, depression, and optimism; and (iii) determine whether these factors explain a significant proportion of variance in HLC. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that age, education, trait anxiety, and optimism explained 20% of the variance in CHLC; gender, trait anxiety, and depression accounted for 9% of the variance in IHLC; and lower education accounted for 5% of the variance in PHLC. Helping transplant team members understand the factors that influence patients' perceptions that their own behaviors impact their health status is important for maximizing post-transplant success.

Prolonged impact of chemotherapy on fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a longitudinal comparison with radiotherapy-treated breast cancer survivors and noncancer controls.

BACKGROUND: In this study, the authors examined the influence of prior treatment on the course of fatigue in breast cancer survivors. Patients who received chemotherapy were expected to have greater fatigue than patients who received radiotherapy and noncancer controls 6 months after the completion of treatment, but they were expected to recover to levels similar to those of the other 2 groups 3 years later. METHODS: Patients with stage 0 through II breast cancer completed the Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) and the Profile of Mood States Fatigue Scale (POMS-FAT) 6 months (T1) and 42 months (T2) after completing chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy (the CT group; n = 103) or radiotherapy only (the RT group; n = 102). An age-matched group of women with no history of cancer (the NC group; n = 193) was assessed over a similar interval. RESULTS: A significant (P = .041) group × time effect for FSI severity scores revealed that fatigue worsened over time in the CT group but remained stable and lower in the RT and NC groups. There also were significant group effects for FSI days (P < .001) and POMS-FAT (P = .010) scores, indicating that fatigue was significantly greater across time in the CT group than in the NC group (POMS-FAT) or the RT and NC groups (FSI days). CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to expectations, fatigue did not diminish over time in patients with breast cancer who received chemotherapy. This finding has important implications for patient education and for fatigue monitoring during follow-up. The authors concluded that future research should seek to examine possible mechanisms to explain the apparent prolonged impact of chemotherapy on fatigue in breast cancer survivors.

Characteristics and correlates of sleep disturbances in cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Few studies of sleep disturbances in cancer patients have focused on the period before chemotherapy starts. Understanding sleep disturbances in this period is important since early intervention has the potential to reduce the severity or chronicity of these problems. The present study sought to characterize sleep disturbances in this period, examine if they could be predicted by demographic, clinical, or lifestyle factors, and identify their relationship to fatigue, depression, and physical and mental well-being. METHODS: Patients (N = 288) with breast cancer (32%), lung cancer (32%), or other cancers (36%) about to begin chemotherapy completed self-report measures assessing demographic and lifestyle characteristics, sleep, fatigue, depression, and quality of life. RESULTS: Twenty-six percent of patients rated their sleep quality as fairly or very bad. Poorer overall sleep was significantly predicted by less education, more medical comorbidities, previous radiotherapy, less physical activity, and current tobacco use, but these variables accounted for only 7% of the variability in sleep disturbances. After controlling for significant relationships with depression and fatigue, sleep disturbances explained significant variability in physical well-being but not mental well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbances are common before the start of chemotherapy and contribute to poorer physical well-being independent of fatigue and depression. Demographic, clinical, and lifestyle variables had limited value in predicting sleep disturbances. However, depression and fatigue were highly correlated with sleep. Future research should seek to identify common etiological factors (e.g., cytokine production) and implement longitudinal designs to examine temporal relationships among these three symptoms in cancer patients.