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Cancer-related fatigue and sleep deficiency in cancer care continuum: concepts, assessment, clusters, and management

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Abstract

Throughout the cancer continuum, patients are faced with the cancer- and treatment-related side effects that can have a negative impact on their overall quality of life. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and sleep deficiency are among the symptoms that patients and their caregivers most often experience. An increasing body of literature suggests that a strong correlation between CRF and sleep deficiency exists, indicating that they may be reciprocally related and that they may have similar underlying etiology. This paper aims at bringing together the opinions of leading cancer control (i.e., CRF and sleep) and oncology experts in order to increase the understanding of CRF and sleep deficiency’s assessment, associated symptom clustering, symptom burden shared by caregivers, and CRF and sleep deficiency management in the cancer care context.

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Acknowledgements

This manuscript was based on a Joint Session presented as part of the MASCC conference in 2018 with the MASCC, ONS (Oncology Nursing Society), and EONS (European Oncology Nursing Society). Dave Balachandran and Oxana Palesh represented MASCC, Ellyn Matthews and Ann Berger represented ONS, and Evridiki Papastavrou and Andreas Charalambous represented EONS.

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Correspondence to Andreas Charalambous.

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Charalambous, A., Berger, A.M., Matthews, E. et al. Cancer-related fatigue and sleep deficiency in cancer care continuum: concepts, assessment, clusters, and management. Support Care Cancer 27, 2747–2753 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-04746-9

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