From Worn Out to Energized: Tackling Fatigue after Transplant or CAR T-cell Therapy

Summary: Cancer related fatigue (CFR) can be a debilitating side effect of cancer itself as well as cancer treatment. This presentation describes the impact of cancer-related fatigue and offers several coping strategies that can help patients minimize fatigue and improve quality of life. Presenter: Alexandra Muench PsyD University of Pennsylvania https://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/facult... This workshop took place at the May 3-May 9, 2025 Survivorship Symposium Presentation is 39 minutes long with 18 minutes of Q & A To read the transcript, go to: https://bmtinfonet.org/video/worn-out... Highlights: (02:38): Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) has a specific and detailed definition. (03:08): Cancer-related fatigue is not proportional to recent activity and interferes with usual functioning (04:33): Cancer-related fatigue has six overarching themes. (07:04): Frequency of cancer-related fatigue varies with type of cancer, type of treatment, psychosocial stressors, and other comorbidities (09:03): Chemo and radiation produce more Cancer-related fatigue than surgery alone (10:56): Cancer-related fatigue can begin happening even before diagnosis and sometimes prompts people to seek a diagnosis. (12:10): Transplant and CAR T patients often experience cancer-related fatigue as the longest-lasting, most impactful, and most persistent symptom arising from cancer and treatment. (14:43): The first intervention in the fatigue package is patient and family education and counseling. (23:00): Any type of exercise can help with cancer-related fatigue . (23:55): Another area of research is bright light therapy. Key Points: Cancer-related fatigue differs from normal fatigue in several ways. It is the most common side effect of cancer treatment and can be severe, long-lasting, and interfere with daily functioning and emotional wellbeing. Coping strategies for cancer-related include energy conservation or activity pacing, distraction to change our focus from the symptoms, and napping. There are no highly effective medications for cancer-related fatigue although some medications may take the edge off fatigue. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia can help with sleep issues and bring some improvement in fatigue for some patients. VISIT US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:   / bmtinfonet     / bonemarrowstemcelltransplantclub     / bmtinfonet   https://x.com/BMTInfoNet   / bmt-infonet   https://bsky.app/profile/bmtinfonet.b...