Underreporting of Fatigue in Gynecologic Oncology Patients

Chavez, Marin

dc.contributor.author	Chavez, Marin
dc.date.accessioned	2017-04-27T22:53:41Z
dc.date.available	2017-04-27T22:53:41Z
dc.date.issued	2017-04-27
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10150/623271
dc.description	A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.	en
dc.description.abstract	Cancer‐related fatigue (CRF) is a well‐documented symptom among gynecologic oncology patients. However, there is little known about the etiology, and treatment options are currently suboptimal. While the lack of knowledge surrounding the intricacies of CRF impedes effective care, there is arguably a more serious barrier to delivering adequate treatment. Fatigue symptoms are highly underreported to physicians making it impossible to offer treatment to a large subsection of patients. This study will focus specifically on gynecologic oncology patients, a population with a staggering prevalence of CRF. The purpose of this study is to identify clinical, psychosocial, and lifestyle characteristics that may be associated with the underreporting of fatigue specifically in gynecologic oncology patients. The design of this study is a cross‐sectional survey. 89 subjects were recruited from three outpatient sites. Inclusion criteria included: (a) women age ≥18 years old with a known ovarian, uterine, cervical, vaginal, vulvar, or primary peritoneal cancer; (b) Currently attending physician’s office hours and/or undergoing chemotherapy at one of the above listed centers. This study will focus specifically on the reporting of CRF in gynecologic oncology patients. Results showed that barriers to reporting fatigue were significantly correlated with the chemotherapy cycle a patient was undergoing. Additionally, the date of last treatment, a patient’s weight, and the cancer stage was associated with higher levels of underreporting in this population. The prevalence of cancer related fatigue is staggering; however, there is limited research as to why patients are underreporting such a significant symptom to their health care team. With the knowledge from this study, screening for fatigue can become more efficient by targeting women in specific chemotherapy cycles. Practitioners can also use this data to identify patients with high‐risk characteristics that might contribute to their unwillingness to discuss fatigue symptoms.
dc.language.iso	en_US	en
dc.publisher	The University of Arizona.	en_US
dc.rights	Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the College of Medicine - Phoenix, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.	en_US
dc.subject	Gynecology	en
dc.subject	Underreporting	en
dc.subject	Cancer	en
dc.subject	Chemotherapy	en
dc.subject	Under reporting	en
dc.subject.mesh	Fatigue	en
dc.subject.mesh	Patients	en
dc.title	Underreporting of Fatigue in Gynecologic Oncology Patients	en_US
dc.type	text; Electronic Thesis	en
dc.contributor.department	The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix	en
dc.description.collectioninformation	This item is part of the College of Medicine - Phoenix Scholarly Projects 2017 collection. For more information, contact the Phoenix Biomedical Campus Library at pbc-library@email.arizona.edu.	en_US
dc.contributor.mentor	Chase, Dana	en
refterms.dateFOA	2018-09-11T18:57:10Z
html.description.abstract	Cancer‐related fatigue (CRF) is a well‐documented symptom among gynecologic oncology patients. However, there is little known about the etiology, and treatment options are currently suboptimal. While the lack of knowledge surrounding the intricacies of CRF impedes effective care, there is arguably a more serious barrier to delivering adequate treatment. Fatigue symptoms are highly underreported to physicians making it impossible to offer treatment to a large subsection of patients. This study will focus specifically on gynecologic oncology patients, a population with a staggering prevalence of CRF. The purpose of this study is to identify clinical, psychosocial, and lifestyle characteristics that may be associated with the underreporting of fatigue specifically in gynecologic oncology patients. The design of this study is a cross‐sectional survey. 89 subjects were recruited from three outpatient sites. Inclusion criteria included: (a) women age ≥18 years old with a known ovarian, uterine, cervical, vaginal, vulvar, or primary peritoneal cancer; (b) Currently attending physician’s office hours and/or undergoing chemotherapy at one of the above listed centers. This study will focus specifically on the reporting of CRF in gynecologic oncology patients. Results showed that barriers to reporting fatigue were significantly correlated with the chemotherapy cycle a patient was undergoing. Additionally, the date of last treatment, a patient’s weight, and the cancer stage was associated with higher levels of underreporting in this population. The prevalence of cancer related fatigue is staggering; however, there is limited research as to why patients are underreporting such a significant symptom to their health care team. With the knowledge from this study, screening for fatigue can become more efficient by targeting women in specific chemotherapy cycles. Practitioners can also use this data to identify patients with high‐risk characteristics that might contribute to their unwillingness to discuss fatigue symptoms.