Mednet Logo
CommunityMedical Oncology

How do you manage fatigue in women receiving chemotherapy/hormonal/radiation therapy for breast cancer?

Community PollStarted

How do you manage fatigue in women undergoing therapy for breast cancer?

236 physicians have voted

Join Mednetto vote and see how they answered.

3 Answers
Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Medical Oncology · Columbia University Medical Center
Answered on

Managing fatigue is challenging for patients undergoing cancer therapy. One of the best ways to increase energy is to exercise. It is a bit of a catch 22, but if you explain to patients they can start out with small goals and there symptoms will improve that can help. A very important contributor to...

Join for free or sign in to see the full answer

Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Radiation Oncology · Allegheny Health Network, Exercise Oncology Center
Answered on

I agree with @Dr. First Last, especially regarding sleep. For early stage breast cancer fatigue is generally minimal, and we found in our study that actual tangible activity levels minimally decrease throughout treatment. More so, many patients' baseline activity levels are quite poor (at least in P...

Join for free or sign in to see the full answer

Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Radiation Oncology · Henry Ford Health System
Answered on · Updated on

There are several causes for fatigue due to chemotherapy. Insomnia and depression are very common, both of which can contribute to fatigue. I generally recommend exercise during cancer treatment to prevent the decrease in activity that commonly occurs, improve overall health and decrease fatigue. A ...

Join for free or sign in to see the full answer