Fatigue in patients with prostate cancer receiving hormone therapy

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, severity and correla tes of fatigue in a convenience sample of outpatients with prostate cancer prior to and following 3-months treatment with first-line hormone therapy ( cyproterone acetate and goserelin). 'Severe fatigue' in the patients (n = 6 2) was defined as a score on the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) greater than the 95th percentile of a group of elderly volunteers without cancer. Subjec ts also completed other questionnaires about fatigue and about quality of l ife, anxiety/depression and personality. Subjects underwent a nutritional a ssessment, tests of voluntary muscle function and attention. The prevalence of 'severe fatigue' at baseline was 8/58 (14%). Median FSS scores increase d significantly after 3 months treatment. On multivariate analysis psycholo gical distress explained 28% of the variance in fatigue scores. Treatment w as associated with a reduction in voluntary muscle function, loss of muscle bulk, a decline in virility and potency, an improvement in pain and a redu ction in nausea/vomiting. Fatigue is an important but under-recognised side -effect of hormone therapy. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser ved.