Evaluation of Factors Affecting Fatigue and Anxiety in Patients with Cancer

We observed that illiterate patients had moderate level of anxiety. Illiterate patients" lives were affected moderately by tiredness, whereas others were affected slightly. Loge et al. indicated that tiredness increases when education level decreases.[] Low-educated patients correlate their viewpoint through cancer with death, and this may cause an increase in anxiety level. Tradesmen had moderate anxiety level, whereas patients from other professions had low anxiety level. Fatigue has moderate effect on tradesmen, whereas it has a slight effect on patients from other professions. Tradesmen have to struggle not only at home but also at work, and this may increase anxiety and fatigue. Patients with low economic levels had moderate anxiety levels, whereas patients with medium and good economic levels had low anxiety levels. Economic problems are important factors that complicate getting over with the illness.[] It was determined that employed patients had low anxiety level, whereas unemployed patients had medium anxiety level. In the present study, fatigue affected all patients" lives slightly, and employed patients were not tired, whereas unemployed patients were tired. Curt et al. stated that patients with cancer have fatigue after diagnosis, and that 75% of them have to change their jobs because of fatigue.[] Patients who had 6-24 months of diagnosis had low anxiety level, and patients with 2-5 years and ≥5 years of diagnosis had medium anxiety level. Cancer diagnosis and treatment may cause harm in the patient"s quality of life, psychological situation, and patient"s adaptation to illness. Beser and Oz reported that anxiety and depression increase during the treatment and illness periods and affect the patient's quality of life negatively.[] Lampic et al. stated that patients with cancer diagnosis have difficulty in adapting the illness and treatment periods, and that they cannot meet their social needs. [] This situation may cause anxiety in patients. In our study, patients in all groups were tired, and tiredness affected their lives slightly. Fatigue may reduce physical adequacy and handicap social relationships.[]

Patients with adequate information related to illness had low anxiety level, whereas those without information had medium anxiety level; both groups were tired, and tiredness affected their lives slightly. Armay et al. stated that the patients" level of knowledge about the illness may determine their responses.[]

Sufficiency of information may enable to overcome the illness, remove catastrophic conception, and have positive effects on responses about the illness. It may be thought that patients having been educated about the illness and knowing how to overcome it may be effective in decreasing fatigue. Barcevick et al. determined that a program on avoiding energy wasting and activity management has an effect on decreasing fatigue.[] Patients with and without psychological help had medium anxiety level; patients in both groups were tired, and tiredness affected their lives slightly. It is important to consider the effects of medicines on fatigue and sleep. Patients who thought that anxiety was caused by treatment and those who had the opposite idea had medium anxiety level. Patients who thought that fatigue and anxiety were partially caused by treatment had low anxiety level. According to the FSS, patients who thought that fatigue and anxiety were caused by treatment were tired, but the other group was not. Pınar et al. determined that patients with cancer not only have symptoms caused by the illness period but also have anorexia that was a side effect of radiotherapy and physical and emotional symptoms, such as cachexia, taste differences, nausea-vomiting, fatigue, depression, and anxiety.[] We did not observe an important difference on anxiety level between patients who had chemotherapy and who did not. Patients who had chemotherapy were not tired. Beser and Oz stated that patients who are worried about their future have an increase anxiety level after chemotherapy.[] The uncertainty of the chemotherapy period and the negative effects of the side effects of chemotherapy may cause anxiety in patients with cancer. Curt et al. stated that fatigue is the most common side effect in patients who have chemotherapy. Fatigue affected the daily lives of patients with radiotherapy more than those who did not. The physiological changes in all treatment periods may cause anxiety and anxiety-related fatigue in patients.[] Patients who had an operation had low anxiety level. The effect of fatigue on patients who had an operation may be because of the long recovering period.