Multidimensional Comparison of Cancer-Related Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Role of Psychophysiological Markers (2019) Park et al.

ME/CFS Skeptic

ME/CFS Skeptic

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
A study from South Korea (Epub ahead of print):
OBJECTIVE:
The present study compared cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) using multidimensional measurements with the aim of better understanding characteristics and exploring markers of two similar fatigue syndromes.

METHODS:
Twenty-five patients with CRF and twenty patients with CFS completed questionnaires, including the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Additionally, levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), heart rate variability (HRV), and electroencephalography (EEG) were obtained. Neurocognitive functioning was also evaluated.

RESULTS:
Both groups showed comparable levels of psychological variables, including fatigue. Compared to CFS subjects, CRF patients had significantly higher hs-CRP levels and a reduced HRV-index. The within-group analyses revealed that the FSS score of the CRF group was significantly related to scores on the HADS-anxiety, HADS-depression, and PSQI scales. In the CFS group, FSS scores were significantly associated with scores on the PSS and the absolute delta, theta, and alpha powers in frontal EEG.

CONCLUSION:
Findings indicate that different pathophysiological mechanisms underlie CFS and CRF. Inflammatory marker and HRV may be potential biomarkers for distinguishing two fatigue syndromes and frontal EEG parameters may be quantitative biomarkers for CFS.
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30605994
 
I think this looks like an interesting study.

I note particularly that they found no difference between the cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) on the psychological tests including fatigue.

But they found a different pattern of objective factors, suggesting it's a different mechanism in the two conditions.

(this makes me think of the recent much publicised post interferon treatment fatigue being used as a proxy for CFS by Pariante et al. If post cancer treatment fatigue is shown, as this study suggests, to have a completely different biological basis to CFS, then maybe that suggests the post interferon study may be equally irrelevant to the biology of CFS???)

And does anyone know more about the frontal EEG parameters they say may be a biomarker for CFS?
 
Trish said:
(this makes me think of the recent much publicised post interferon treatment fatigue being used as a proxy for CFS by Pariante et al. If post cancer treatment fatigue is shown, as this study suggests, to have a completely different biological basis to CFS, then maybe that suggests the post interferon study may be equally irrelevant to the biology of CFS???)
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I think this is one of the questions that needs to be addressed and perhaps even within a broad group of CFS. That is what is the nature of the 'fatigue' and is it likely to be caused by the same mechanisms or are there hints that it is different. The issue with a lot of the questionnaires is that they aren't detailed enough to pick up the differences.
 
I have a friend who had cancer treatment and was offered a course on cancer fatigue. I'm sure you can guess what's coming..... loads of therapists, glossy brochures telling her to eat properly, increase exercise and practice good sleep hygiene.
My Mum has an autoimmune disease and has chronic fatigue with it. She's always told its the steroids or the illness but she's had to limit her activities significantly. I wish doctors would stop hiding behind CBT for fatigue and admit that they haven't got a clue. If all funding for CBT research was removed, maybe they would finally work with scientists to figure it out.
 
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