Abstract 542P
Background
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) raises the risk of a shorter survival and negatively affects many aspects of quality of life. Up to one-third of breast cancer survivors experience it. Interleukin (IL)-6, a circulating marker of inflammation, was positively correlated with fatigue and was substantially linked to CRF.
Methods
An observational cohort prospective study was performed with pre- and post-testing at Moewardi General Hospital from March 1 to May 24, 2022, to examine the effects of psycho-educational treatment on 154 fatigued breast cancer survivors (stages I–IIIa) compared to a control group. Serum levels of IL-6, an inflammatory marker for cancer-related fatigue, were assessed prior to and following a 12-weeks treatment. Serum levels of IL-6 were determined using the Human Interleukin 6 Immunoassay (Quantikine) kit. The data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. The disparity in levels of serum IL-6 that existed between the treatment and control groups was examined using the Mann-Whitney test.
Results
Among breast cancer survivors receiving psycho-educational treatment, the mean serum level of IL-6 dramatically dropped (p = 0.003, in which p < 0.05). Nevertheless, there existed a substantial rise in the mean serum levels of IL-6 (p = 0.000, indicating p < 0.05) in the control group. The IL-6 serum level’s mean before the psycho-educational treatment group's pre- and post-studies were 41.43 pg/ml and 20.42 pg/ml, respectively, with a significant difference (p = 0.048, which is < 0.05). However, the control group's pre- and post-study IL6 serum levels (pre study mean= 27.93 pg/ml and post study mean = 22.22 pg/ml) did not differ significantly, with p = 0.914 (p > 0.005).
Conclusions
This psycho-educational treatment would lead to significant reductions in cancer-related fatigue by lowering the levels of circulating IL-6 inflammatory markers. To find out how specific psycho-educational treatment methods impact cancer patient outcomes, more research is needed.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.