Symptoms

People experience a pervasive sense of weariness that does not improve with rest or sleep. It is a profound fatigue that is often described as being different from regular tiredness and can be overwhelming, hindering one’s ability to perform even simple tasks.

People living with fatigue often experience mood swings, irritability, and a decreased threshold for frustration. These mood changes can directly result from the physical and mental stress of receiving a cancer diagnosis and receiving treatment for it. However, mood changes and irritability can also be caused by the psychological and social impact of living with a chronic illness like cancer-related fatigue.

Fatigued individuals may find themselves less interested in hobbies or activities they previously enjoyed. This lack of motivation is not just a psychological issue. It can be a direct effect of fatigue that makes it difficult to engage in protective health behaviours and the activities you like and need to do.

Cancer-related fatigue can affect cognitive function in different ways. People living with fatigue may experience difficulties focusing, sustaining attention, and recalling information. In oncology, these cognitive issues are generally referred to “chemo brain” or “chemo fog”, but chemotherapy is just one of many treatments and factors that contribute to it. These cognitive changes can also be caused by distracting symptoms (e.g. fatigue, pain, anxiety) and disturbances within important behaviours (e.g. sleep).

People living with cancer-related fatigue experience noticeable and disruptive changes in their baseline energy levels and how quickly their energy levels decrease when engaged in tasks that normally require minimal energy expenditure. These changes result in people feeling physically drained at rest (even first thing in the morning), tiring easily, and often needing to take frequent breaks during activities.

People experiencing more severe levels of cancer-related fatigue frequently report they have difficulty carrying out minimally demanding tasks and activities of daily living like keeping up with personal/self-care, household chores, and work responsibilities and often require greater levels of supportive care, home care, and workplace/classroom accommodations.

Cancer-related fatigue often disrupts normal sleep-wake cycles, leading to insomnia or excessive sleepiness. Even people who get enough hours of sleep often wake up feeling drained and unrefreshed. These feelings frequently continue and get worse throughout the day.

People living with cancer-related fatigue may report a reduced appetite or changes in their eating habits. These changes can result in unintended weight loss or weight gain – both of which can have extremely negative health- and fatigue-related consequences.