Characteristics of Cancer-Related Fatigue and Concomitant Sleep Disturbance in Cancer Patients

Context Cancer patients often experience cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and sleep disturbances due to cancer and cancer treatment, and symptoms can persist long after treatment. Despite these common occurrences, few studies simultaneously characterize CRF and sleep architecture among cancer patients. Objectives The objective was to characterize CRF and the sleep architecture of patients seen in a CRF clinic and sleep clinic at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Methods CRF Clinic medical records were retrospectively reviewed from September 1, 2006, to September 30, 2010, for self-reported performance status, fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety, and sleepiness (n = 219). Polysomnography results were recorded for those referred for additional sleep consultation (n = 39). Results Notably, patients often reported fatigue, sleep disturbance, excessive daytime sleepiness, and a majority of patients referred for a sleep consultation were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (n = 33). Conclusion The results highlight the promise of an interdisciplinary collaboration between dedicated a CRF clinic and sleep clinic to conduct effective assessments to identify treatable CRF and sleep disorders.