Posttreatment Considerations

This section is for patients who have had no cancer treatment for at least 6 months. The causes of fatigue are different for patients who are receiving therapy compared to those who have completed therapy. Also, the treatment for fatigue may be different for patients who are no longer receiving treatment for cancer.

Fatigue in people who have completed treatment for cancer and who are considered to be disease-free is a different condition than the fatigue experienced by patients receiving therapy. Fatigue may significantly affect the quality of life of cancer survivors. Studies show that some patients continue to have moderate-to-severe fatigue for up to 18 years after bone marrow transplantation. Long-term therapies such as tamoxifen can also cause fatigue. Fatigue can cause poor school performance years later in children who were treated for brain tumors and cured. Long-term follow-up care is important for patients after cancer therapy. Physical causes should be ruled out when trying to determine the cause of fatigue in cancer survivors.

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