Cancer-related Fatigue and the Additive Effect of Treatment in the Context of Lymphoma: An Analysis of the Lymphoma Coalition's 2022 Global Patient Survey.

ABSTRACT

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) continues to be a challenging phenomenon that is often under-reported and poorly understood. With etiologies in both disease and treatment manifesting as a symptom and a side effect respectively, CRF is highly incident and presents a significant clinical problem that impacts survivorship. We conducted a survey to ascertain the patient reported incidence of symptoms and side effects for people with lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We found that CRF was enhanced in those who received more intense therapies that coincided with more aggressive lymphoma subtypes. These data illuminate an unmet need among patients with lymphoma and provides an opportunity to further refine treatment regimens to reduce the burden of CRF in this vulnerable population. SIGNIFICANCE: CRF is a highly incident phenomenon in lymphoma that can be ascribed to a combination of causes. We have demonstrated substantial variability across various subtypes of lymphoma and have estimated that nearly half of the reported fatigue comes from treatment. Increased screening for and monitoring of fatigue will yield favorable health-related quality of life that will benefit health technology assessment activities and yield improved outcomes for patients.