Association Of Fatigue And Insomnia With Inflammatory Cytokine And Hematopoetic Stem Cell Levels In Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Adjuvant Radiation Therapy.

e12048Background: Fatigue and insomnia are frequent conditions experienced by breast cancer patients during adjuvant radiation therapy (RT). Our group reported that fatigue correlates with reduced CD34+ circulating hematopoetic stem cell (HSC) levels. Our current study examined the role of inflammatory cytokines in mediating fatigue and insomnia following adjuvant RT. Methods: Phlebotomies were conducted on 148 breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant RT at five time points: prior to RT (D1), after two (D2) and five (D5) days of treatment, during the final week of RT (Df), and one month post-RT completion (M1). CD34+, CD45+, circulating blood cell (CBC), and 17 inflammatory cytokine levels were assessed. Patients also completed questionnaires at each time point, including the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MIF-21), insomnia severity index (ISI), and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). Results: CD34+, CD45+ and CBC levels decreased during treatment with adjuvant RT, with the lowest levels ...