| Background and purpose:Most cancer survivors experience cancer-related fatigue during treatment,and about one-third of patients continue to have moderate to severe CRF months or years after treatment.CRF is defined as "a painful,persistent,subjective feeling of fatigue or exhaustion associated with cancer or cancer treatment that is disproportionate to recent activity and significantly interferes with normal function".The most important characteristic of CRF is an abnormal decrease in physical and mental energy and the need for more rest;However,CRF is not directly related to recent physical exertion and cannot be alleviated by basic sleep or rest.The toxic effects of CRF negatively affect the recovery of cancer survivors by impairs their physical and mental functions and interferes with their return to normal activities of life,which may reduce their overall survival.So far,we do not understand the cause of CRF,but some studies suggest that CRF is a multi-dimensional condition composed of physical,psychological and emotional aspects.Perhaps because there are many factors that contribute to CRF and it is poorly understood,there is no "gold standard" treatment for the condition.Over time,researchers have become increasingly interested in the psychological problems of cancer survivors,and surveys have shown that psychological interventions can help address their related symptoms.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between managing cancer and living meaningfully and CRF,quality of life scores of gastrointestinal cancer survivors in China.Method: A total of 115 GCs were included in this study.All patients were randomized to the CALM group and the usual care(UC)group,61 cases and 54 cases,respectively.All patients were assessed using the Piper Fatigue Scale(PFS)and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire(EORTC QLQ-C30)before and after 2,4,and 6 sessions of CALM or usual care treatment,and all GCs exhibited severe fatigue.We compared the differences in scores on these scales between the CALM and usual care groups and analyzed whether there was a relationship between cancer-related fatigue and quality of life.Results: This study shows that compared with the UC group,the CALM group showed significant differences in total CRF,behavioral/daily life CRF,emotional/affective CRF,sensory/physical CRF,cognitive CRF and QOL scores before and after 2,4,and 6CALM sessions(F=3106.434,F=1113.831,F=1159.919,F=1502.266,F=820.275,F=606.513,respectively;P<0.001).Finally,negative correlations were found between CRF and QOL scores in the GCs in the CALM group(before treatment: r=-0.46,P=0.0002;after 2 sessions: r=-0.46,P=0.0002;after 4 sessions: r=-0.51,P<0.0001;after6 sessions: r =-0.44,P=0.0004).Conclusions: CRF was effectively alleviated and quality of life significantly improved after CALM intervention.This study suggests that CALM as a psychotherapeutic intervention may be an effective way to reduce CRF. |
