This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Save to my personal folders Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fosså, S. D. Articles by Loge, J. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fosså, S. D. Articles by Loge, J. H. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

Fatigue, Anxiety, and Depression in Long-Term Survivors of Testicular Cancer

Sophie D. Fosså, Alv A. Dahl, Jon H. Loge

From the the Norwegian Radium Hospital, Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Aker University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Behavioral Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.

Address reprint requests to Sophie D. Fossa, MD, Department of Clinical Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Montebello, N-0310 Oslo, Norway; email: s.d.fossa{at}klinmed.uio.no.

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of chronic fatigue (CF), the levels of anxiety and depression, and the correlation between these conditions in long-term survivors of testicular cancer (TCSs). Occurrence of CF in TCSs is compared with findings in male survivors of Hodgkin’s disease (HDSs) and in males from the general population (GenPop).

Methods: TCSs, HDSs, and two cohorts of the GenPop completed the Fatigue Questionnaire (FQ) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) as part of a questionnaire survey. Cases of CF were identified according to published cut-offs, and the levels of anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D) were calculated.

Results: Among 791 TCSs, 16% displayed CF (HDSs, 24%; GenPop, 10%). In the age group younger than 30 years, the prevalence of CF was higher in TCSs than in the GenPop (P <.01). In TCSs, age, anxiety, depression, and comorbidity were independent predictors of CF. The mean HADS-A score in TCSs was significantly above the comparable figure of the GenPop and similar to that of HDSs. The mean HADS-D score in TCSs was below that of the GenPop. The highest and lowest mean scores of HADS-A and HADS-D were observed in the youngest TCSs.

Conclusion: The prevalence of CF is less in TCSs than in HDSs but exceeds that of the GenPop. Together with comorbidity and age, anxiety and depression predict CF in TCSs, warranting psychiatric intervention for cases of CF among TCSs. Anxiety is a larger problem in TCSs than depression, particularly among the youngest TCSs.

Supported by The Norwegian Cancer Society (grant E-99064) and the Norwegian Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation (grant 1998/207).

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. F. Brown and K. Kroenke Cancer-Related Fatigue and Its Associations With Depression and Anxiety: A Systematic Review Psychosomatics, September 1, 2009; 50(5): 440 - 447. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Magelssen, K.K. Melve, R. Skjaerven, and S.D. Fossa Parenthood probability and pregnancy outcome in patients with a cancer diagnosis during adolescence and young adulthood Hum. Reprod., January 1, 2008; 23(1): 178 - 186. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J. Storey, R. A. Waters, C. J. Hibberd, R. W. Rush, A. T. Cargill, L. R. Wall, M. T. Fallon, V. A. Strong, J. Walker, and M. Sharpe Clinically relevant fatigue in cancer outpatients: the Edinburgh Cancer Centre symptom study Ann. Onc., November 1, 2007; 18(11): 1861 - 1869. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Oldenburg, S. M. Kraggerud, M. Cvancarova, R. A. Lothe, and S. D. Fossa Cisplatin-Induced Long-Term Hearing Impairment Is Associated With Specific Glutathione S-Transferase Genotypes in Testicular Cancer Survivors J. Clin. Oncol., February 20, 2007; 25(6): 708 - 714. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. J. Hjermstad, S. D. Fossa, L. Oldervoll, H. Holte, A. B. Jacobsen, and J. H. Loge Fatigue in Long-Term Hodgkin's Disease Survivors: A Follow-Up Study J. Clin. Oncol., September 20, 2005; 23(27): 6587 - 6595. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Mykletun, A. A. Dahl, C. F. Haaland, R. Bremnes, O. Dahl, O. Klepp, E. Wist, and S. D. Fossa Side Effects and Cancer-Related Stress Determine Quality of Life in Long-Term Survivors of Testicular Cancer J. Clin. Oncol., May 1, 2005; 23(13): 3061 - 3068. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. A. Dahl, C. F. Haaland, A. Mykletun, R. Bremnes, O. Dahl, O. Klepp, E. Wist, and S. D. Fossa Study of Anxiety Disorder and Depression in Long-Term Survivors of Testicular Cancer J. Clin. Oncol., April 1, 2005; 23(10): 2389 - 2395. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M.-L. Chen and H.-K. Chang Physical symptom profiles of depressed and nondepressed patients with cancer Palliative Medicine, December 1, 2004; 18(8): 712 - 718. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. P. Tamboli Long-Term Survivors of Testicular Cancer J. Clin. Oncol., October 15, 2003; 21(20): 3888 - 3888. [Full Text] [PDF]