Objective Causes of Cancer-Related Fatigue: Roles of Neuromuscular Dysfunction and Sleep Disorders
Abstract
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common and debilitating symptom of cancer-treatment, described as a severe, feeling of fatigue, not improved by rest. A number of factors contribute to the occurrence of CRF. It has been observed using a variety of subjective scales, focusing on the psychological aspect. Few studies have assessed if neuromuscular function is related to CRF. It is unclear if sleep disorders, are associated with CRF. The purposes of this thesis were to 1) examine if neuromuscular variables are related to subjective feelings of fatigue and 2) determine if sleep disturbances are associated with CRF in cancer patients and survivors. Independent t-tests found no significant differences between subjective fatigued and non-fatigued groups in both neuromuscular and sleep parameters. However, sleep efficiency had a medium significant correlation with FACT-F scores (r= 0.31, p<0.05). While the results should be considered preliminary, it is suggested that sleep but not resistance to acute muscle fatigue due to exercise plays a role in CRF.
Description
Keywords
Oncology
Citation
Medysky, M. (2016). Objective Causes of Cancer-Related Fatigue: Roles of Neuromuscular Dysfunction and Sleep Disorders (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27155