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Behavioral Symptoms in Patients With Breast Cancer and Survivors

Julienne E. Bower

From the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Corresponding author: Julienne E. Bower, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563; e-mail: jbower{at}ucla.edu

Behavioral symptoms are a common adverse effect of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and include disturbances in energy, sleep, mood, and cognition. These symptoms cause serious disruption in patients' quality of life and may persist for years after treatment. Patients need accurate information about the occurrence of these adverse effects as well as assistance with symptom management. This review considers four of the most common behavioral sequelae of breast cancer, namely fatigue, sleep disturbance, depression, and cognitive impairment. Research on the prevalence, mechanisms, and treatment of each symptom is described, concluding with recommendations for future studies.

Author's disclosures of potential conflicts of interest and author contributions are found at the end of this article.