From Worn Out to Energized: Tackling Fatigue after Transplant or CAR T-cell Therapy

Описание: Summary:
Cancer related fatigue (CFR) can be a debilitating side effect of cancer itself as well as cancer treatment. This presentation describes the impact of cancer-related fatigue and offers several coping strategies that can help patients minimize fatigue and improve quality of life.

Presenter: Alexandra Muench PsyD University of Pennsylvania
https://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/facult...

This workshop took place at the May 3-May 9, 2025 Survivorship Symposium

Presentation is 39 minutes long with 18 minutes of Q & A

To read the transcript, go to:
https://bmtinfonet.org/video/worn-out...

Highlights:

(02:38): Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) has a specific and detailed definition.

(03:08): Cancer-related fatigue is not proportional to recent activity and interferes with usual functioning

(04:33): Cancer-related fatigue has six overarching themes.

(07:04): Frequency of cancer-related fatigue varies with type of cancer, type of treatment, psychosocial stressors, and other comorbidities

(09:03): Chemo and radiation produce more Cancer-related fatigue than surgery alone

(10:56): Cancer-related fatigue can begin happening even before diagnosis and sometimes prompts people to seek a diagnosis.

(12:10): Transplant and CAR T patients often experience cancer-related fatigue as the longest-lasting, most impactful, and most persistent symptom arising from cancer and treatment.

(14:43): The first intervention in the fatigue package is patient and family education and counseling.

(23:00): Any type of exercise can help with cancer-related fatigue .

(23:55): Another area of research is bright light therapy.

Key Points:

Cancer-related fatigue differs from normal fatigue in several ways. It is the most common side effect of cancer treatment and can be severe, long-lasting, and interfere with daily functioning and emotional wellbeing.
Coping strategies for cancer-related include energy conservation or activity pacing, distraction to change our focus from the symptoms, and napping.
There are no highly effective medications for cancer-related fatigue although some medications may take the edge off fatigue. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia can help with sleep issues and bring some improvement in fatigue for some patients.

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