The Relationships Among Physiologic Variables, Quality of Life, and Fatigue in Patients With Multiple Myeloma

Purpose/Objectives: To investigate the relationships among physiologic variables, fatigue, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with multiple myeloma.

Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive, exploratory.

Setting: Outpatient ambulatory care clinics at a tertiary oncology center.

Sample: 56 patients with multiple myeloma were accrued consecutively via nonprobability sampling strategy.

Methods: Study participants completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue. Physiologic variables and demographic data were collected from patient charts.

Main Research Variables: Hemoglobin (hgb), C-reactive protein (CRP), fatigue, and QOL.

Findings: Statistically significant correlations were found among hgb and two measures of fatigue and QOL, as well as among CRP and two measures of fatigue and QOL. Regression analysis revealed that as soon as the effect of CRP was removed, hgb was no longer a significant predictor of fatigue or QOL.

Conclusions: Although significant relationships between hgb and fatigue and hgb and QOL were identified, CRP made a significant contribution to predicting the variance in fatigue and QOL, whereas hgb did not. The findings suggest that higher CRP is predictive of greater fatigue and lower QOL.

Implications for Nursing: Nurses play an integral role in the assessment and management of cancer-related fatigue. Greater understanding of the pathophysiology of fatigue may lead to progress in assessment and intervention, with the ultimate goal of reducing cancer-related fatigue and improving QOL.