Severe fatigue after treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ: A comparison with age-matched breast cancer survivors and healthy controls

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd Purpose Severe fatigue after treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has not been studied before. The current study examined (i) the prevalence of severe fatigue in DCIS patients versus breast cancer survivors (BCS) and healthy controls (HC), (ii) quality of life and functioning of severely versus non-severely fatigued DCIS patients and BCS, and (iii) the association of fatigue with psychosocial and behavioral factors in DCIS patients. Methods 89 patients treated for DCIS were matched on age and gender to 67 BCS and 178 HC (ratio 1:1:2). Fatigue was measured with the Fatigue Severity subscale of the Checklist Individual Strength. Results 23% of DCIS patients, 25% of BCS, and 6% of HC were severely fatigued (DCIS versus HC: p