Use of Methylphenidate for the Management of Fatigue in Chinese Patients With Cancer

Reason for the Study: Studies on methylphenidate for cancer-related fatigue showed conflicting results. This prospective study aims to determine whether methylphenidate is useful for relieving fatigue in Chinese patients with cancer. Chinese Version of Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI-C) was administere...

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Published in:American journal of hospice & palliative medicine 2014-05, Vol.31 (3), p.281-286
Main Authors: Siu, Steven W. K., Law, Martin, Liu, Rico K. Y., Wong, K. H., Soong, Inda S., Kwok, Annie O. L., Ng, K. H., Lam, P. T., Leung, T. W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Central Nervous System Stimulants - therapeutic use
Fatigue - diagnosis
Fatigue - drug therapy
Fatigue - etiology
Female
Hong Kong
Humans
Male
Methylphenidate - therapeutic use
Middle Aged
Neoplasms - complications
Nursing
Palliative Care - methods
Severity of Illness Index
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Reason for the Study: Studies on methylphenidate for cancer-related fatigue showed conflicting results. This prospective study aims to determine whether methylphenidate is useful for relieving fatigue in Chinese patients with cancer. Chinese Version of Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI-C) was administered on days 1, 8, and 29. Methylphenidate dose on day 1 was 5 mg daily then adjusted after day 8 according to response and side effects tolerance. Main Findings: Only 48% of the 25 recruited patients were on methylphenidate by day 29. Overall, no significant improvement in fatigue level was observed after methylphenidate, though benefits were shown in subgroups with age ≤ 65 and higher baseline BFI-C values. Principal Conclusions: Methylphenidate may be useful for management of cancer-related fatigue in selected Chinese patients.
ISSN:1049-9091
1938-2715
DOI:10.1177/1049909113487022