Fatigue and pain are two of the most common and troublesome problems experienced by oncology outpatients. Clinical experience and our pilot data suggest that sleep disturbances occur in this patient population and can influence daytime fatigue and daytime activity. This descriptive correlational study will be the first to describe the patterns of change in fatigue, pain, and sleep disturbances over the course of radiation therapy (RT) in oncology outpatients with four specific diagnoses (i.e., breast cancer, prostate cancer, brain tumors, and lung cancer). In addition, these same symptoms will be evaluated in the patient's family caregiver. Participants will be recruited at the time of the patient's simulation visit in the RT department. Patient/caregiver dyads will be followed over the course of RT and for four months following the completion of RT (i.e., a total of 17 assessments). In addition to describing the patterns of change in these three symptoms, the relationships between fatigue severity and salient physiological (i.e., hemoglobin, hematocrit, interleukin-6 levels) and psychological variables (i.e., anxiety, depression, quality of life, caregiver strain (only in the family caregivers)) will be determined. Patients and family caregivers will be asked to list the self-care behaviors they use to manage pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbances over the course of RT and following treatment. These data will provide important information to begin to plan intervention studies for patients who are undergoing RT. Inclusion of family caregivers in this research is extremely important given the shift in oncology services from the inpatient to the outpatient setting.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NR004835-03
Application #
6393037
Study Section
Nursing Research Study Section (NURS)
Program Officer
Hare, Martha L
Project Start
1999-09-30
Project End
2003-06-30
Budget Start
2001-07-01
Budget End
2002-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$738,615
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California San Francisco
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Schools of Nursing
DUNS #
073133571
City
San Francisco
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94143
Miaskowski, Christine; Conley, Yvette P; Mastick, Judy et al. (2017) Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms Associated With Symptom Clusters in Oncology Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy. J Pain Symptom Manage 54:305-316.e3
Merriman, John D; Aouizerat, Bradley E; Cataldo, Janine K et al. (2015) Associations between catecholaminergic, GABAergic, and serotonergic genes and self-reported attentional function in oncology patients and their family caregivers. Eur J Oncol Nurs 19:251-9
Aouizerat, Bradley E; Dhruva, Anand; Paul, Steven M et al. (2015) Phenotypic and Molecular Evidence Suggests That Decrements in Morning and Evening Energy Are Distinct but Related Symptoms. J Pain Symptom Manage 50:599-614.e3
Miaskowski, Christine; Dunn, Laura; Ritchie, Christine et al. (2015) Latent Class Analysis Reveals Distinct Subgroups of Patients Based on Symptom Occurrence and Demographic and Clinical Characteristics. J Pain Symptom Manage 50:28-37
Yates, Patsy; Miaskowski, Christine; Cataldo, Janine K et al. (2015) Differences in Composition of Symptom Clusters Between Older and Younger Oncology Patients. J Pain Symptom Manage 49:1025-34
West, Claudia; Paul, Steven M; Dunn, Laura et al. (2015) Gender Differences in Predictors of Quality of Life at the Initiation of Radiation Therapy. Oncol Nurs Forum 42:507-16
Miaskowski, Christine; Cataldo, Janine K; Baggott, Christina R et al. (2015) Cytokine gene variations associated with trait and state anxiety in oncology patients and their family caregivers. Support Care Cancer 23:953-65
Dhruva, Anand; Aouizerat, Bradley E; Cooper, Bruce et al. (2015) Cytokine gene associations with self-report ratings of morning and evening fatigue in oncology patients and their family caregivers. Biol Res Nurs 17:175-84
Ritchie, Christine; Dunn, Laura B; Paul, Steven M et al. (2014) Differences in the symptom experience of older oncology outpatients. J Pain Symptom Manage 47:697-709
Alexander, Kimberly; Cooper, Bruce; Paul, Steven M et al. (2014) Evidence of associations between cytokine gene polymorphisms and quality of life in patients with cancer and their family caregivers. Oncol Nurs Forum 41:E267-81

Showing the most recent 10 out of 38 publications