Abstract:Objective To investigate the levels of cancer related fatigue (CRF) and the correlations between CRF and serum inflammatory factors and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Methods The CRF level was assessed by brief fatigue inventory (BFI). The level of C reactive protein (CRP) was measured by immunoturbidimetry, and the level of cortisol was measured by electrochemiluminesence. The levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and norepinephrine (NE) were measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results The average total score of CRF was 3.15±1.93, and the degree was mild to moderate, which was positively correlated with the CRP (r=0.321, P=0.000), TNF-α (r=0.265, P=0.000), NE (r=0.174, P=0.015) and ACTH (r=0.257, P=0.000)， but was not correlated with the cortisol (r=0.033， P=0.652). Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score (t=8.081, P=0.000), education (t=-4.244, P=0.000), treatment (t=4.563, P=0.000), time from diagnosis to sampling (t=3.453, P=0.001) and CRP (t=2.837, P=0.006) were important factors of CRF. Conclusion The CRF status is common in gastrointestinal cancer patients. The CRF is correlated with the NE and ACTH of HPA axis. Medical staff should pay attention to the inflammatory factors and hormone levels to improve the fatigue status and the quality of patients.

Key words:Gastrointestinal neoplasms,Fatigue,Inflammation,Hormones