Chronic cancer-related fatigue in long-term survivors of testicular cancer

Objective revalence of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) has been reported among many groups of cancer survivors when compared to the general population. However, this topic has rarely been studied in long-term survivors of testicular cancer (TCSs). The present multi-centre study examines the prevalence of chronic CRF in Norwegian TCSs compared to chronic general fatigue (GF) in the Norwegian general population, and associations between a variety of relevant variables and CRF in TCSs. s ipants were 1431 TCSs, aged 18–75, at an average of 11 years posttreatment (range 4.5–21 years), and a sample of 1080 age-matched men from the general Norwegian population (GenPop). The participants responded to a mailed questionnaire that included the Fatigue Questionnaire for the assessment of chronic CRF and chronic GF. s evalence of chronic CRF was 17.1% (95% CI 15.2–19.1%) among TCSs compared to 9.7% of chronic GF in GenPop (95% CI 8.0–11.5%). Regression analyses showed that poor quality of life (QOL), various psychosocial and somatic problems, and neuroticism were highly associated with presence of chronic CRF in TCSs. sion c CRF is far more common among TCSs than chronic GF in the general population and is associated with poor QOL and multiple psychological and somatic health problems. As a consequence, fatigue should be in focus during routine follow-ups as well as later in the general medical care of TCSs.