What to do if you are tired? Many people's answers should be two simple words - "rest". Indeed, most people are tired, and they can take a break and sleep. They can reduce most of the fatigue without saying it. But there is a kind of fatigue that is difficult to relieve when resting, which is "cancer fatigue" .
Cancer-induced fatigue is a type of fatigue caused by cancer patients due to the side effects of cancer itself or treatment. It occurs quickly and in a serious degree, and often lasts throughout the treatment period, and cannot be relieved through rest or sleep. Severe patients may even find it difficult to eat due to fatigue.
In several surveys of cancer patients, fatigue is considered by many patients to be the most painful symptom they have experienced, and is even more painful than obvious adverse reactions such as pain, nausea, and vomiting, and has a greater impact on daily life [1].
Why do cancer patients get tired?
Cancer is caused by sexual fatigue, and cancer itself and anti-cancer treatment.
Cancer is a chronic wasting disease. During the growth process, tumors will continue to seize the body's nutrition, causing malnutrition. Especially in the late stage, many cancer patients will develop , malignant liquid , and their muscles will be greatly reduced and their fatigue will continue to aggravate. Some cancers also release cytokine , which causes fatigue.
The treatment methods for cancer, whether it is surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, , will cause certain damage to the body, and the killed cancer cells also require the body to consume energy to clean it. Anemia , nausea and other adverse reactions in adverse treatments will also further aggravate fatigue.
Generally speaking, fatigue caused by surgery will gradually decrease or even disappear as the patient recovers from the surgery; fatigue caused by periodic chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy will be the most severe after each dose, and then gradually decrease until the next treatment begins; fatigue caused by radiotherapy will gradually worsen with the treatment and will not begin to decrease after the treatment is completed.
In addition, the pain and mental stress caused by cancer, lack of exercise after cancer, and even the economic pressure caused by treatment costs will also aggravate the fatigue of cancer patients.
What to do if cancer fatigue?
Currently there are some drugs that can be used for cancer fatigue, especially for some fatigue with clear reasons. For example, blood transfusion can relieve fatigue caused by anemia, antidepressants can relieve fatigue caused by cancer-related depression, painkillers can relieve fatigue caused by pain, etc.
But overall, psychological intervention and exercise intervention are more effective ways to relieve cancer fatigue than drugs [2]. Relieving cancer fatigue still depends on the patients' own efforts. Mayo Clinic, the world's top medical institution, has given several suggestions for cancer patients to cope with fatigue:
- set aside time for rest every day, but don't take a long rest at a time;
- saves energy and uses it for the most important activities. You can record the best time of physical strength every day and arrange important activities at these times;
- intake of adequate water and nutrition. If you are unable to eat due to nausea and vomiting, seek medical help;
- perform moderate-intensity exercises every week, such as brisk walking, cycling and swimming. Regular exercise helps prevent fatigue during treatment. However, for patients who do not have exercise habits, they should ask their doctor's opinions before starting exercise, and proceed step by step to avoid accidents;
- Some cancer patients can relieve fatigue through meditation, yoga, etc., and massage and acupuncture may also be helpful;
- consider using some dietary supplements.Small studies have shown that supplements containing ginseng can relieve fatigue, but consult a doctor before using it.
References:
[1]. Lawrence D P, Kupelnick B, Miller K, et al. Evidence report on the occurrence, assessment, and treatment of fatigue in cancer patients[J]. Jnci Monographs, 2004, 2004(32): 40-50.
[2]. Mustian K M, Alfano C M, Heckler C, et al. Comparison of pharmaceutical, psychological, and exercise treatments for cancer-related fatigue: a meta-analysis[J]. JAMA oncology, 2017, 3(7): 961-968.
