Evolution of the degree of fatigue in patients with breast cancer in radiotherapy treatment

Radiotherapy is one of the most commonly used treatments in the fight against breast cancer. However, despite treating the disease, it also causes systemic side effects, of which malaise and fatigue are among the most presented. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the evolution of the degree of fatigue in women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy. This is a longitudinal, prospective, descriptive study conducted in a cancer treatment center in Fortaleza-CE, Brazil, from November 2013 to January 2014, with a sample of 56 women undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy. Fatigue was present at the beginning, middle, and end of RT treatment, in 67.5%, 73.2%, and 91.1% of patients, respectively. The mild degree was the one that affected most patients in the three stages evaluated, with 51.7% in the beginning, 57.1% in the middle, and 71.4% at the end of treatment. Through the paired t-test, there was significant evolution of the degree of fatigue between the beginning and the end (p˂0.00) and between middle and end (p<0.00) of radiotherapy, both presented p