Fatigue in advanced disease associated with palliative care: A systematic review of non-pharmacological treatments

Abstract

Background:

Fatigue is a common complaint reported by patients with advanced disease, impacting their daily activities and quality of life. The pathophysiology is incompletely understood, and evidence-based treatment approaches are needed.

Aim:

This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions as treatment for fatigue in advanced disease.

Design:

The review design follows the Cochrane guidelines for systematic reviews of interventions.

Data sources:

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov and a selection of journals up to February 28th 2019, for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of non-pharmacological treatments for fatigue in advanced disease associated with palliative care. Further potentially relevant studies were identified from the reference lists in relevant reviews, and in studies considered for this review.

Results:

We screened 579 publications; 15 met the inclusion criteria, with data from 1179 participants: 815 were treated with physical exercise, 309 with psycho-educational therapy and 55 with an energy restoration approach. Sources of potential bias included lack of description of blinding and allocation concealment methods, and small study sizes. Physical exercise as treatment for fatigue in patients with advanced cancer was supported by moderate-quality evidence.

Conclusion:

Physical exercise should be considered as a measure to reduce fatigue in patients with advanced cancer, but data on other advanced diseases is lacking. Due to the differences between studies, no clear recommendations can be made with respect to the best type of physical therapy. Restoration exercise and psycho-educational therapy are promising treatment options, although further research is needed.