The Oncologist 2007;12(suppl 1):11–21 www.TheOncologist.com Assessment of Cancer-Related Fatigue: Implications for Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a highly prevalent and debilitating symptom experienced by most cancer patients during, and often for considerable periods after, treatment. The recognition of the importance of CRF to patients ’ psychosocial and cognitive functioning, as well as to their quality of life, has driven the development of a wide range of assessment tools for screening and diagno-sis of CRF. Over 20 different measures have been used to assess CRF from either a unidimensional or multi-dimensional perspective. Unidimensional measures are often single-question scales that generally focus on identifying the occurrence and severity of CRF, whereas multidimensional measures may also examine the effect of CRF across several domains of physical, socio-emo-tional, and cognitive functioning. This paper provides an overview and critique of measures commonly used to assess CRF. Single-question assessment is the most com-monly used and the most useful methodology. Strategies to facilitate reliable assessment of CRF are also dis-cussed. The Oncologist 2007;12(suppl 1):11–21 Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article