'I Don't Have Any Energy': The Experience of Fatigue in Young Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Although it is speculated that fatigue occurs equally in adults, children and adolescents with cancer, little research exists to substantiate this view. Evidence that fatigue continues after treatment is limited in both the adult and paediatric oncology literature. Due to the current lack of knowledge, more information on the phenomenology of fatigue of childhood cancer survivors is desirable. Therefore a study was conducted to explore the concept of fatigue from a survivor's perspective. A semi-structured interview was conducted with a purposeful sample of 35 long-term survivors of childhood cancer who reported feeling extremely fatigued. The topics which were covered during the interview included the nature, onset and pattern of fatigue, sleep rest pattern, what helps with fatigue and what does not help, and the impact of fatigue on their daily life. Most survivors who were diagnosed with cancer in their adolescence identified fatigue as a significant side-effect of the treatment. The majority of survivors who were toddlers or preschooler at the time of cancer treatment mentioned that, as far as they could recall, they had suffered from fatigue their entire life. The course of fatigue during the day differed among the survivors, although the majority reported to be fatigued when waking up in the morning. None of the survivors reported sleep problems. Many survivors slept 9 hours or more. Fatigue was defined by all respondents as having a negative impact on their daily lives. Findings revealed that fatigue is a serious problem for some young adult survivors of childhood cancer and affects many aspects of quality of life.