PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to examine fatigue, sleep disturbances, and quality of life (QOL) among patients with breast cancer receiving radiotherapy.
METHODS
A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used. Data were collected through questionnaires distributed to 201 breast cancer patients in a hospital. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0.
RESULTS
The fatigue scores showed significant differences depending on exercise and duration since diagnosis. The sleep disturbance scores showed significant differences depending on duration since diagnosis. QOL scores showed significant differences depending on exercise, duration since diagnosis, and treatment site. Fatigue and sleep disturbances (r=.40, p<.001) showed statistically significant positive correlations, while fatigue and QOL (r=-.55, p<.001), and sleep disturbances and QOL (r=-.45, p<.001) showed statistically significant negative correlations. The multiple regression analysis, which was used to determine the variables influencing on QOL after radiotherapy, resulted in a significant regression model (F=23.88, p<.001), which accounted for approximately 45% of the explanatory power. Fatigue (beta=-.39, p<.001) and sleep disturbances (beta=-.27, p<.001) were revealed to adversely affect quality of life.
CONCLUSION
The nursing intervention is necessary to reduce fatigue and sleep disturbance and to promote exercise in order to enhance QOL of patients with breast neoplasm while receiving radiotherapy.

Citations

• Occupational health challenges in radiography: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analytic approach
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  Radiography.2025; 31(3): 102955.     CrossRef
• The Influence of Depression, Sleep Quality, and Mental Health Literacy on the Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients
  Minjin Kim, Suin Park
  Asian Oncology Nursing.2024; 24(2): 73.     CrossRef
• Factors Affecting Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy
  Su Young Hwang, So-Hi Kwon
  Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing.2024; 31(1): 29.     CrossRef
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  Min Kyeong Jang, Sue Kim, Chang Gi Park, Eileen G. Collins, Lauretta T. Quinn, Carol Estwing Ferrans
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  Jin Jung, Eun-Hye Lee, You-Jin Yang, Bo-Yoon Jang
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PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to investigate fatigue and its related factors in cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. METHOD: The subjects of this study consisted of 98 patients receiving radiotherapy. Subjects were recruited from C University Hospital radiation oncology unit located in Gwangju from March to May, 2001. Questionnaire and medical records were used for data collection. The obtained data was analyzed using SAS program that included descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Post-hoc test(Fisher's LSD) and Pearson's correlation coefficients. RESULT: The fatigue perceived by the subjects was middle level (5.59 +/- 1.59) and 72.4% of them reported greater than 5 points. The subjects in no religion, low income, and spouse caregiver groups experienced the higher fatigue than another groups, respectively. The subjects in nasopharyngeal cancer, head & neck radiation site, and analgesics medication groups did, experience fatigue as well. The fatigue not only positively correlated with symptom distress, disruption of usual activity, sleep dissatisfaction, and mood state, but also negatively with less family support. CONCLUSION: Cancer patients receiving radiotherapy experience the middle level of fatigue and it correlates with the multi-dimensional factors. However, further research is needed to identify the changes in fatigue over the radiotherapy period through longitudinal design and to develop nursing intervention for fatigue decrease.

PUPPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the patterns and related factors of fatigue in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy.
METHOD
31 women with breast cancer receiving radiotherapy were recruited from the out-patient radiologic clinic of the university hospital in Seoul, Korea over a period of 3 months. Data was collected prospectively concerning three points for 5 - 6 weeks : before radiotherapy(T1), 2 weeks after starting radiotherapy(T2) and the completion of radiotherapy(T3). Data were analysed by repeated measure ANOVA, Pearson correlaton, and multiple regression.
RESULT
1. Score of fatigue increased significantly over the course of radiotherapy. 2. Score of symptom distress and emotional distress increased and functional status scores decreased significantly over time. 3. Fatigue was positively related with symptom distress and emotional distress and negatively related with functional status over the course of radiotherapy. 4. At T2, emotional distress explained 24.7% of the variation in fatigue. At T3, symptom distress(41.9%) and emotional distress(7.2%) explained the variance in fatigue.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study provided evidence that fatigue increased over the course of radiotherapy and symptom distress and emotional distress were influencing factors of fatigue in this group. The results of this study suggest that comprehensive intervention strategy for fatigue should be developed to maintain quality of life during and following radiotherapy considering these factors.