PRELIMINARY-RESULTS OF A STUDY ASSESSING ASTHENIA AND RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PHENOMENA IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED CANCER

Asthenia is a very common symptom of patients with advanced cancer, bu t its investigation is hindered by a lack of suitable validated measur ing instruments. The goal of the present study was to construct and va lidate a questionnaire for the study of asthenia in cancer patients, a s well as to establish correlations with other symptoms and physiologi cal and biochemical parameters. A group of 31 patients with advanced c ancer and a control group of 30 healthy volunteers were examined. The proposed questionnaire, based on visual analogue scales, questions wit h categorical anwers and on the hospital anxiety and depression scale was validated by comparing results of the patient and control groups, by the test/retest method and by comparison with the evaluation of an observer. Correlation with various physiological and biochemical param eters was performed. The questionnaire distinguished well among the pa tients and control groups. VAS of asthenia proved quite stable over a period of 5 days. Correlations of asthenia with lack of appetite, the hospital anxienty and depression scale, weight, heart rate and serum c ortisol levels could be established. No significant correlation betwee n asthenia and various serum markers of inflammation and cytokines, in cluding C-reactive protein, tumour necrosis factor, interleukin-1, and interleukin-2 receptors, could be found. The proposed questionnaire f or evaluation of asthenia could be validated in a patient sample of li mited size and a simplified questionnaire based on visual analogue sca les is being developed for further investigations.