Living as a Survivor: Sleep Disturbance, Fatigue, Depressive Mood, and Cognitive Dysfunction After Breast Cancer Treatment.
Horng-Shiuann Wu, Feng Gao, Charles Given
PMID 36728181WHAT IT FOUND
Poor sleep was common and linked with fatigue and depressive mood in breast cancer survivors.
In 81 women, 85% had sleep disturbance, 67% fatigue, 46% were at risk for clinical depression, and 29% cognitive dysfunction.
Key findings
01In 81 breast cancer survivors, 85% had sleep disturbance, 67% had fatigue, 46% were at risk for clinical depression, and 29% showed cognitive dysfunction.
02Among 71 symptomatic survivors, sleep disturbance and fatigue occurred together in 70%, and depressive mood never occurred alone.
03Poor sleep was associated with fatigue and depressive mood, but not with overall cognitive dysfunction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample of women treated for early-stage breast cancer, so the results may not apply to men, advanced disease, or long-term survivorship. The data were collected at a single assessment, so associations cannot show that sleep problems cause fatigue or mood problems. Fatigue was scored only as present or absent, so the study cannot describe fatigue severity. Pain, anxiety, and other common post-treatment symptoms were not measured, so they may explain some symptom patterns. Sleep, fatigue, mood, and cognition were assessed over different time frames, which may affect comparisons. Some subgroup statements are inconsistent with the reported p values, so age and comorbidity findings need caution. The sample was limited to survivors shortly after treatment, so it says little about later survivorship.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. No funding source is reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving sleep will reduce fatigue or depressive mood. The study measured symptoms at a single assessment and did not test a sleep treatment.