From the first signs of cancer until the end of treatment, the process can be gruelling, and at times, the challenges are many. In addition to physical symptoms, such as fatigue and pain, are the psychological symptoms, often taking the form of anxiety, depression and insomnia. These symptoms rarely present individually and generally interact with each other. Which symptoms are conducive to the emergence of others over time?
This knowledge would allow for the targeting of symptoms on which to act, and when it is best to act to prevent deterioration in the mental and physical state of people who have cancer.
This is what Trudel-Fitzgerald and colleagues (2013) tried to understand.
Legend: Recommendation of our expert
Expert advisor:
- Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health and clinical psychologist at the Ordre es Psychologues du Québec
Authors:
- ÉTIENNE FOUQUET, research assistant, Université de Sherbrooke
- MARIE-ÉLISE LABRECQUE, professional researcher, Université de Sherbrooke
This initiative was made possible through a collaboration with the Université de Sherbrooke.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY:
Anxiety
Anxiety can present under various forms. The person may experience feelings of tension, worry, fearing the worst for the future, or sudden feelings of panic.
Depression
Depression is experienced as a loss of pleasure in things the person used to enjoy, accompanied by moodiness and/or a feeling of moving in low gear.
Insomnia
Insomnia is characterized by sleep problems, frequent and/or prolonged wakefulness during the night, or waking up very early in the morning.
Fatigue
Fatigue is not only the result of a lack of sleep. Symptoms include the feeling of being in poor physical condition or feeling that one has little physical resistance; feeling fatigued.
Pain
Pain as described in this article is physical pain: that is, a person feels significant discomfort or pain anywhere in their body.
Method
- Country: Québec, Canada
- Recruitment of participants:
Patients were recruited during their pre-operative appointment for surgery related to cancer, either at Hôtel-Dieu de Québec (CHUQ) or at Hôpital du St-Sacrement (CHA), in Québec, Canada, from 2005 to 2007.
Number of participants: 828 - Method used: Longitudinal study that followed cancer patients from the beginning to the end of their treatment (the care trajectory).
- Average age: 56.9 years
Percentage of women: 68.8%
Main types of cancers: breast cancer for women; prostate cancer for men.
WHAT DO THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY TELL US?
Fatigue and anxiety can predict future symptoms.
- The best predictor of a symptom over time is the symptom itself!
- In fact, levels of anxiety, depression, insomnia, fatigue and pain experienced during a given period effectively predict the level of these same symptoms a few months later.
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