Nursing professor researches cancer-related fatigue

By concentrating on a common, but often overlooked, symptom of cancer, researchers at Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University believe a patient's other symptoms may improve.

Amy Hoffman, faculty member at GVSU’s Kirkhof College of Nursing, with the support of five researchers from Michigan State University, studied the prevalence of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) among lung cancer patients and patients with other cancer diagnoses. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, through National Institute of Nursing Research, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, and the Walther Cancer Foundation in Indiana.

“We found that the majority of patients reported a great deal of fatigue,” said Hoffman, assistant professor of Nursing. “Their fatigue was constantly working against them. Fatigue was one of the most severe symptoms they reported.”

Their research found that among patients whose CRF was the most prevalent symptom, patients reported about 6.4 other symptoms such as nausea, insomnia, weakness, or shortness of breath.

Hoffman said: “Many of these people have other symptoms, but the cancer-related fatigue impacts the severity of the other symptoms. Cancer-related fatigue is set apart from most other cancer-related symptoms. It is a large source of distress for persons with cancer and not proportional to recent activity and interferes with usual daily functioning.”

Hoffman is currently writing another grant proposal for the next steps of the study. Working with Ruth Ann Brintnall, GVSU assistant professor of nursing, the research would study how building one’s confidence in managing fatigue, in addition to adding strategies such as light exercise, will help not only reduce the fatigue but help with a patient’s other symptoms and their ability to carry out their daily activities.

The initial research study was published in several journals, including Nursing Research and Clinical Oncology Week.