Abstract
Objectives: Fatigue is a frequent debilitating symptom associated with cancer. However, scientific data on cancer-related fatigue is scarce in developing nations. This work examines psychometric properties of the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-20) and analyzes the level of fatigue among Ethiopian patients with cancer in comparison with data from Germany.Methods: A sample of 256 patients with cancer drawn from a hospital in Ethiopia was examined with the MFI-20 and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). A comparative sample of 780 German patients with cancer served as the control.Results: The MFI-20 scales and total score showed acceptable reliability (α = 0.60–0.93) with a considerable convergent validity between MFI-20 and the EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue scale (r = 0.67–0.75). The Ethiopian patients with cancer reported higher levels of fatigue than the German patients. Analyses of variance showed that Ethiopian patients with cancer who were illiterate, having advanced cancer, and those who did not receive either surgery or chemotherapy reported especially high levels of fatigue.Conclusion: The MFI-20 is a fairly reliable and valid instrument to be used with Amharic speaking patients with cancer. The high level of fatigue in these patients implies that appropriate cancer care is needed in developing countries.
Highlights
Being diagnosed with cancer drastically affects one’s physical and mental states
Patients with cancer experience a range of symptoms that affect their quality of life (QoL)
Annual number of new cases of cancer in Africa is estimated to grow to more than one million in the 5 years, which is associated with immense loss in human life and considerable economic setback (Boyle et al, 2019)
Summary
Being diagnosed with cancer drastically affects one’s physical and mental states. Patients with cancer experience a range of symptoms that affect their quality of life (QoL). These symptoms have been studied extensively in high-income countries (HIC) where cancer care resources are accessible. Little is known regarding the mental health consequences and QoL of populations with cancer residing in low and middle-income countries (LMIC), including Africa, where resources are limited (Muliira et al, 2017). The WHO reported that about 70% of the world’s cancer-related deaths are from LMICs alone (World Health Organization, 2015). Cancer specialists working in Africa and international experts working closely with African colleagues portray the relationship between cancer and resource limitations as “It is bad to have
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