Fatigue among short- and long-term thyroid cancer survivors: results from the population-based PROFILES registry

• Published in: Thyroid (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 23; no. 10; p. 1247
• Main Authors: Husson, Olga, Nieuwlaat, Willy-Anne, Oranje, Wilma A, Haak, Harm R, van de Poll-Franse, Lonneke V, Mols, Floortje
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-10-2013
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - etiology; Anxiety - physiopathology; Cognition Disorders - epidemiology; Cognition Disorders - etiology; Cognition Disorders - physiopathology; Cohort Studies; Combined Modality Therapy - adverse effects; Cost of Illness; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - etiology; Depression - physiopathology; Fatigue - epidemiology; Fatigue - etiology; Fatigue - physiopathology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Netherlands - epidemiology; Neuromuscular Diseases - epidemiology; Neuromuscular Diseases - etiology; Neuromuscular Diseases - physiopathology; Prevalence; Quality of Life; Registries; Severity of Illness Index; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Stress, Psychological - etiology; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Survivors - psychology; Thyroid Neoplasms - physiopathology; Thyroid Neoplasms - psychology; Thyroid Neoplasms - therapy; Netherlands
• ISSN: 1557-9077
• DOI: 10.1089/thy.2013.0015

The aims of this study were (i) to obtain insight into the prevalence of fatigue among short- and long-term thyroid cancer (TC) survivors, by comparing a sample of TC survivors with an age- and sex-matched normative population, and (ii) to investigate which demographic, clinical, and TC-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) characteristics were associated with fatigue.
All patients found to have TC between 1990 and 2008, as registered in the Eindhoven Cancer Registry, received a cross-sectional survey on fatigue (Fatigue Assessment Scale), TC-specific HRQoL (THYCA-QoL), and psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). The fatigue scores were compared with those of an age- and sex-matched normative population (n=530). Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the independent associations between clinical and demographic characteristics, TC-specific HRQoL, and psychological distress with fatigue.
Eighty-six percent (n=306) responded. TC survivors were more often classified as fatigued or very fatigued (short-term <5 years: 43%; long-term 5-10 years: 44%; long-term 10-15 years: 47%; long-term >15 years: 39%) compared to the normative population (25%; p<0.001). Anxiety (odds ratio (OR) 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.28) and depression (OR 1.43 [CI 1.22-1.68]) were associated with fatigue, as was also the case for TC-specific neuromuscular (OR 1.03 [CI 1.01-1.06]), concentration (OR 1.03 [CI 1.01-1.06]), and psychological TC-specific HRQoL (OR 1.06 [CI 1.02-1.10]).
Short- and long-term TC survivors report higher levels of fatigue than an age- and sex-matched normative population do. Both TC-specific HRQoL and psychological distress were associated with fatigue.