Usefulness of the PERFORM questionnaire to measure fatigue in cancer patients with anemia: a prospective, observational study.

Background: The PERFORM Questionnaire is a 12-item scale developed for assessing fatigue in cancer patients in the clinical practice. It has advantages over other tools in that it is short and includes beliefs and attitudes of patients about fatigue. It was psychometrically validated in cancer patients with and without anemia.

Purpose: We evaluated the usefulness of the PERFORM scale to measure fatigue in a large study focusing exclusively on anemic patients.

Methods: This was an observational, multicenter, prospective, 3-month study in cancer patients with hemoglobin (Hb)≤11 g/dl. Fatigue was assessed using the PERFORM questionnaire. The overall score ranges from 12 (no fatigue) to 60 (maximum fatigue).

Results: We included 667 patients: 54.1 % women, mean age 60 (standard deviation, 12) years. A highly significant, but mild correlation was observed between low baseline Hb and high patient perception of fatigue (r with PERFORM score=-0.215, p < 0.0001). Of the patients, 65.8 % improved Hb level during follow-up (increase of ≥1 g/dL and/or achieving >11 g/dL), which translated into a significant improvement in the PERFORM score [mean (95 % confidence interval (CI)] change, -1.2 (-0.04 to -2.4), whereas more fatigue was observed in patients without improvement in Hb [change (95 % CI) in PERFORM, +3.3 (1.5 to 5)]. In a multivariate linear regression analysis, the independent factors associated to fatigue at 3 months were a low Hb level, a low Karnofsky index, active chemotherapy, cancer treatment with palliative intention, and transfusion need in the last 3 months.

Conclusions: Minimal increases or decreases in Hb of ≥1 g/dL were associated with meaningful changes in patient-perceived fatigue as measured with the PERFORM questionnaire. In addition to anemia severity, other factors such as active chemotherapy and advanced disease contribute to perception of fatigue by cancer patients.