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Purpose: Cancer-related fatigue is a prevalent issue affecting 50–90% of cancer patients who experience fatigue at diagnosis, during therapy, and often for months or years after the completion of therapy. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of cancer-related fatigue, associated factors, and adult cancer patients' experiences at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia. Methods: A mixed-method study was conducted from February 25 to May 15, 2023, via cross-sectional descriptive and phenomenological approaches. The validated Amharic Brief Fatigue Inventory scale and semistructured interview guide were used. The data were processed via Epi-data version 4.4.3.1 and SPSS version 24, with logistic regression analysis. The interview records and field notes were transcribed and translated from Amharic to English and then analysed thematically. Results: All participants (100%) completed the study, with 77.4% reporting significant fatigue. Fatigue was strongly associated with uninsured medical expenses (P = 0.008, OR = 3.22), late-stage cancer (P = 0.000, OR = 6.11), anaemia (P = 0.009, OR = 3.71), and comorbidities (P = 0.000, OR = 7.22). From the in-depth interviews with 16 participants, two main themes emerged: financial strain (giving up basics, and inability to work) and disease progression (intensified symptoms, increased treatment side effects, and managing multiple conditions). Conclusion: This study revealed that 77.4% of cancer patients experience significant fatigue, which is linked to a lack of medical insurance, late-stage cancer, anaemia, and comorbid conditions. Financial strain limits access to care, whereas disease progression and managing multiple conditions intensify fatigue. Early intervention, financial support, and integrated care are crucial for reducing fatigue and improving quality of life. Future research should focus on multicentre and longitudinal studies to improve generalizability and track fatigue progression over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) quantify the clinical relevance of quality of life results at the individual patient and group level. The aim of this study was to estimate the MCID for the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and the Worst and Usual Fatigue items in patients with brain or CNS cancer undergoing curative radiotherapy. Methods Data from a multi-site prospective registry was used. The MCID was calculated using distribution-based and anchor-based approaches. For the anchor-based approach, the fatigue item from the PROMIS-10 served as the anchor to determine if a patient improved, deteriorated, or had no change from baseline to end of treatment (EOT). We compared the unadjusted means on the BFI for the 3 groups to calculate the MCID. For the distribution-based approaches, we calculated the MCID as 0.5 SD of the scores and as 1.96 times the standard error of measurement. Results Three-hundred and fifty nine patients with brain or CNS tumors undergoing curative radiotherapy filled out the 9-item BFI at baseline and EOT. The MCID for the BFI was 1.33 (ranging from 0.99 to 1.70 across the approaches), 1.51 (ranging from 1.16 to 2.02) and 1.76 (ranging from 1.38 to 2.14) for the usual and worst fatigue items, respectively. Conclusions This study provides the MCID ranges for the BFI and Worst and Usual fatigue items, which will allow clinically meaningful conclusions to be drawn from BFI scores. These results can be used to select optimal treatments for patients with brain or CNS cancer or to interpret BFI scores from clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeCancer-related fatigue is a prevalent issue affecting 50–90% of cancer patients who experience fatigue at diagnosis, during therapy, and often for months or years after the completion of therapy. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of cancer-related fatigue, associated factors, and adult cancer patients’ experiences at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia.MethodsA mixed-method study was conducted from February 25 to May 15, 2023, via cross-sectional descriptive and phenomenological approaches. The validated Amharic Brief Fatigue Inventory scale and semistructured interview guide were used. The data were processed via Epi-data version 4.4.3.1 and SPSS version 24, with logistic regression analysis. The interview records and field notes were transcribed and translated from Amharic to English and then analysed thematically.ResultsAll participants (100%) completed the study, with 77.4% reporting significant fatigue. Fatigue was strongly associated with uninsured medical expenses (P = 0.008, OR = 3.22), late-stage cancer (P = 0.000, OR = 6.11), anaemia (P = 0.009, OR = 3.71), and comorbidities (P = 0.000, OR = 7.22). From the in-depth interviews with 16 participants, two main themes emerged: financial strain (giving up basics, and inability to work) and disease progression (intensified symptoms, increased treatment side effects, and managing multiple conditions).ConclusionThis study revealed that 77.4% of cancer patients experience significant fatigue, which is linked to a lack of medical insurance, late-stage cancer, anaemia, and comorbid conditions. Financial strain limits access to care, whereas disease progression and managing multiple conditions intensify fatigue. Early intervention, financial support, and integrated care are crucial for reducing fatigue and improving quality of life. Future research should focus on multicentre and longitudinal studies to improve generalizability and track fatigue progression over time.