Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40355939›Full record

ArticleBreast cancer research : BCR2025

Prognostic value of cancer-related fatigue at the end of radiotherapy for overall survival ≥ 10 years in women with breast cancer.

Philipp Heumann, Axel Benner, Sabine Behrens, Jenny Chang-Claude, Petra Seibold

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Article in Breast cancer research : BCR, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Article
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.

Philipp HeumannDivision of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Axel BennerDivision of Biostatistics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Sabine BehrensDivision of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Jenny Chang-ClaudeDivision of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Petra SeiboldDivision of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany. p.seibold@dkfz.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common symptom in breast cancer patients and survivors, which can substantially impair quality of life. Previous studies suggested that CRF may be associated with poorer survival outcomes, but had limited follow-up duration or insufficient adjustment for established prognostic factors. The aim of this analysis was to assess the prognostic value of CRF at the end of radiotherapy for overall survival in a cohort of women with breast cancer with a median follow-up time of 19 years.

methodsData from the prospective ISE study, which enrolled women with non-metastatic breast cancer between 1998 and 2001, were analysed. Patients did not receive chemotherapy. A vital status follow-up was conducted in 2019. CRF was collected at the end of radiotherapy using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and classified using the threshold of clinical importance. Cox regression models adjusted for CRF, age, body mass index (BMI), tumour size, nodal involvement, grading and receptor status were calculated.

resultsOf 437 patients with fatigue assessments, 164 (38%) reported CRF. During 10 years of follow-up, 25 patients without and 27 patients with CRF died. Tumour size, nodal involvement and age were statistically significantly associated with 10-year overall survival. For CRF, a statistically significant effect was observed for ≥ 5 years of follow-up (HR: 2.44), but not within the first 5 years of follow-up (HR: 1.26).

conclusionsCRF assessments at the end of radiotherapy showed prognostic value for long-term survival beyond established factors and could potentially be used to identify patients that require monitoring in risk-adapted aftercare programmes in order to improve survival.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsFatigueAdultAgedCancer SurvivorsFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMiddle AgedPrognosisProspective StudiesQuality of LifeBreast neoplasmsFatiguePatient reported outcome measuresRadiotherapySurvival

Identifiers

PMID40355939
PMCPMC12070715

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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.