Fatigue

Fatigue is one of the most common problems in patients with cancer. Among people with cancer, 80% to 100% report experiencing fatigue. Fatigue may be an isolated problem or occur as one element in a cluster of symptoms. In regard to patients receiving immunotherapies, fatigue may be a presenting symptom of an endocrine disorder secondary to immunotherapy, such as thyroid or pituitary disorder, not just general cancer-related fatigue. Clinicians need to suspect underlying endocrine immune-related adverse events (irAEs) with vague symptoms such as fatigue and take appropriate actions for diagnostic testing and involvement of endocrinologists as needed. Immune-related endocrine disorders can occur relatively late in treatment and take months to resolve or potentially be irreversible. However, some can be easily corrected with prompt interventions (Linardou & Gogas, 2016).
ONS staff researchers and clinical specialists have exhaustively assessed evidenced-based research from comprehensive sources to provide you our best recommendations on Symptom Interventions for your patients.