Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35870034›Full record

ArticleJournal of patient-reported outcomes2022

Comparative responsiveness and minimally important difference of Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) scales and the FSI-3 in trials with cancer survivors.

Catherine E Mosher, Ekin Secinti, Shelley A Johns, Kurt Kroenke, Laura Q Rogers

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of patient-reported outcomes, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Cardiovascular training for fatigue in people with cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Randomized Controlled Trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Fatigue Interference With Functioning in Metastatic Breast Cancer.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2025
    Trial
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Catherine E MosherDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 North Blackford Street, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. cemosher@iupui.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9689-5392
Ekin SecintiDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 North Blackford Street, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Shelley A JohnsCenter for Health Services Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Regenstrief Institute, 1101 W. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Kurt KroenkeCenter for Health Services Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Regenstrief Institute, 1101 W. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Laura Q RogersUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis · USRegenstrief Institute · USUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham · US

Funding

Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UL1)UL1TR000006 · NCATS · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI SHEKHAR, ANANTHA · 2012 to 2013
$5.6M
Training in Research for Behavioral Oncology and Cancer Control ProgramR25CA117865 · NCI · INDIANA UNIV-PURDUE UNIV AT INDIANAPOLIS · PI CHAMPION, VICTORIA LEE · 2006 to 2015
$4.1M
Enhancing physical activity after breast cancer diagnosis: randomized trialR01CA136859 · NCI · SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY SCH OF MED · PI ROGERS, LAURA Q · 2009 to 2012
$2.6M
Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute-K12 ProgramKL2TR000163 · NCATS · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI SHEKHAR, ANANTHA · 2012 to 2013
$720k
Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute TR000006Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute TR000163National Cancer Institute (US) R01CA136859National Cancer Institute (US) R25CA117865NCATS NIH HHS KL2 TR000163NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000006NCI NIH HHS R01 CA136859NCI NIH HHS R25 CA117865Walther Cancer Foundation 0106-01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFatigue is a highly prevalent and disabling symptom in cancer survivors. Although many measures have been developed to assess survivors' fatigue, their ability to accurately capture change following intervention has rarely been assessed in post-treatment survivors. Ultra-brief fatigue measures are preferable in clinical practice but have limited evidence supporting their use with cancer survivors. We examined the psychometric properties of four Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) measures, including the new FSI-3, in cancer survivors. Examined properties included responsiveness to change and minimally important differences (MIDs).

methodsWe analyzed data from three randomized controlled trials with post-treatment cancer survivors (N = 328). Responsiveness to change was evaluated by comparing standardized response means for survivors who reported their fatigue as being better, the same, or worse at 2-3 months. Responsiveness to intervention was assessed via effect sizes, and MIDs were estimated by using several methods. We also computed area under the curve (AUC) values to assess FSI measures' discriminative accuracy compared to an established cut-point.

resultsAll FSI measures differentiated survivors who reported improvement at 2-3 months from those with stable fatigue, but did not uniformly differentiate worsening fatigue from stable fatigue. Measures showed similar levels of responsiveness to intervention, and MIDs ranged from 0.29 to 2.20 across FSI measures. AUC analyses supported the measures' ability to detect significant fatigue.

conclusionsFour FSI scales show similar responsiveness to change, and estimated MIDs can inform assessment of meaningful change in fatigue. The FSI-3 shows promise as an ultra-brief fatigue measure for survivors.

Indexed as

Cancer survivorsFatigue Symptom InventoryMinimally important differencePsychometricsResponsiveness to change

Identifiers

PMID35870034
PMCPMC9308850
OpenAlexW4286716094

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.