A correlational evaluation of tiredness and lack of energy in survivors of haematological malignancies

Data about tiredness and lack of energy from 91 bone marrow transplant (BMT) survivors and 73 patients receiving maintenance chemotherapy were collected. A correlational evaluation revealed that these two distressing symptoms were associated with physical, psychological, cognitive and social dimensions of quality of life (QOL). A stepwise regression model for BMT survivors showed that both tiredness and lack of energy could be predicted by the combined effect of difficulty concentrating and overall psycho-social adjustment. In addition, dizziness was also influencing tiredness. Lack of energy was predicted in the chemotherapy patients with the combined effects of adjustment to social environment, shortness of breath and psychological symptom distress (R2 = 0.80). In the same group of patients, tiredness was explained by a model consisting mainly of physical symptoms and cognitive symptoms, associated probably with the chemotherapy they were receiving, together with social adjustment (R2 = 0.86). The identification of the reasons behind tiredness and lack of energy in cancer patients, broadly defining fatigue and commonly experienced by them, will have implications for both patient education and the design of appropriate interventions to combat fatigue.