Exploring Lived Experiences and Personal Meanings of Cancer-Related Fatigue Among Patients Undergoing Targeted Therapy for Advanced Solid Tumors
Main Article Content
Abstract
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most prevalent and distressing symptoms experienced by patients undergoing cancer treatment, significantly affecting physical, emotional, and social well-being. Despite advancements in targeted therapy as a modern oncology approach, there remains a critical research gap in understanding the subjective and lived meanings of fatigue specifically within the context of targeted therapy, as most prior studies have predominantly focused on biological mechanisms or pharmacological management. However, little is known about how patients interpret, experience, and manage CRF within the context of targeted therapy, leading to the central question: How do patients make sense of fatigue during treatment? Here, we adopt an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) to explore patients’ lived experiences of CRF and uncover the underlying meanings associated with this phenomenon. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 cancer patients receiving targeted therapy, and data were analyzed through thematic interpretation using IPA techniques. Four central themes emerged: the overwhelming nature of fatigue, challenges in maintaining daily roles, coping strategies adopted to manage energy and emotions, and redefining quality of life through meaning-making processes. These findings reveal that fatigue is not merely a biological symptom but a multidimensional experience embedded within personal, emotional, and sociocultural contexts. The study offers a deeper understanding of how CRF reshapes patients’ identities and daily lives, providing critical insights for designing patient-centered care models and supportive interventions. These findings also open opportunities for future research to explore cross-cultural perspectives and longitudinal changes in patients’ narratives, ultimately advancing holistic oncology practices.
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Aurilio, M., Esposito, A., Buonanno, M., Morisco, A., Maisto, C., Scala, S., & Lastoria, S. (2025). [225Ac]Ac-PSMA-617 production method: Development of an efficient and reproducible radiolabelling process for establish a clinical routine production. EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry, 10(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41181-025-00344-9
Bartunek, J., Terzic, A., Davison, B. A., Behfar, A., Sanz-Ruiz, R., Wojakowski, W., Sherman, W., Heyndrickx, G. R., Metra, M., Filippatos, G. S., Waldman, S. A., Teerlink, J. R., Henry, T. D., Gersh, B. J., Hajjar, R., Tendera, M., Senger, S., Cotter, G., Povsic, T. J., & Wijns, W. (2020). Cardiopoietic stem cell therapy in ischaemic heart failure: Long-term clinical outcomes. ESC Heart Failure, 7(6), 3345–3354. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1002/ehf2.13031
Brannon, G. E., Mitchell, S., & Liao, Y. (2022). Addressing privacy concerns for mobile and wearable devices sensors: Small-group interviews with healthy adults and cancer survivors. PEC Innovation, 1. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100022
Deng, B., Kong, Y., Ma, Y., Zhan, Y., Sun, Y., Wang, R., Huang, P., & Liu, L. (2025). A novel carrier-free nanoparticle with stable distinctive three-dimensional structure for tumor-targeted precision chemoimmunotherapy. Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 23(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-025-03568-8
Guan, L., Tao, S., Lu, X., Jiang, Y., Xu, K., Peng, J., Shen, W., Guo, G., Shen, Z., & Ru, J. (2025). A Lysosome-Targeted Iridium(III) Complex Inducing Pyroptosis for Enhanced Sonodynamic Therapy of Colorectal Cancer. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 68(13), 14008–14018. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c01106
Guo, J., Huang, X., Dou, L., Yan, M., Shen, T., Tang, W., & Li, J. (2022). Aging and aging-related diseases: From molecular mechanisms to interventions and treatments. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 7(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-022-01251-0
Harrison, L. E., Webster, S. N., Van Orden, A. R., Choate, E., Jehl, N., Stinson, J., Wicksell, R. K., Darnall, B. D., & Simons, L. E. (2022). Agile development of a digital exposure treatment for youth with chronic musculoskeletal pain: Protocol of a user-centred design approach and examination of feasibility and preliminary efficacy. BMJ Open, 12(9). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065997
He, C., Shi, C., Fang, M., Chang, P., Hou, P., Zhang, Y., & Li, J. (2025). Amplifying STING activation by biomimetic manganese mRNA nanovaccines for local and systemic cancer immunotherapy. Journal of Controlled Release, 383. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.113788
Huang, C.-C., Kang, M., Shirazi, S., Lu, Y., Cooper, L. F., Gajendrareddy, P., & Ravindran, S. (2021). 3D Encapsulation and tethering of functionally engineered extracellular vesicles to hydrogels. Acta Biomaterialia, 126, 199–210. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2021.03.030
Inal-Gultekin, G., Gormez, Z., & Mangir, N. (2022). Defining Molecular Treatment Targets for Bladder Pain Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis: Uncovering Adhesion Molecules. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.780855
Kaci, F. N., & Daglioglu, C. (2024). 3-Aminobenzamide-linked multifunctional nanoparticles enhances anticancer activity of low-dose cisplatin chemotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 100. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2024.106038
Kate, A., & Basu, S. (2024). Corneal blindness in the developing world: The role of prevention strategies. F1000Research, 12. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.141037.2
Khan, D. A., Adhikary, T., Sultana, M. T., & Toukir, I. A. (2024). A comprehensive identification of potential molecular targets and small drugs candidate for melanoma cancer using bioinformatics and network-based screening approach. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 42(14), 7349–7369. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/07391102.2023.2240409
Lim, S. Y., Han, S., Kim, Y., Kim, H., Kim, Y., Park, J.-A., Yun, J., Yong, S.-B., Won, Y.-W., & Lim, K. S. (2025). Advanced breast cancer immunotherapy: Surface modification of NK cells for embedding antibody-drug conjugates. Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, 189. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2025.118245
Liu, C., Wang, S., Zheng, S., Xu, F., Cao, Z., Feng, X., Wang, Y., Xue, Q., Sun, N., & He, J. (2021). Avoiding Absolute Quantification Trap: A Novel Predictive Signature of Clinical Benefit to Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Frontiers in Immunology, 12. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.782106
MacLochlainn, J., McFadden, P., McColgan, M., Naylor, R., Schroder, H., McGrory, S., Nicholl, P., Currie, D., Kirby, K., & Mallett, J. (2025). Children’s Social Work Safe Staffing Supply and Workforce Demands Analysis: A Case Study from Northern Ireland. British Journal of Social Work, 55(3), 993–1014. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcae163
Meena, S. S., Kosgei, B. K., Soko, G. F., Tingjun, C., Chambuso, R., Mwaiselage, J., & Han, R. P. S. (2025). Developing anti-TDE vaccine for sensitizing cancer cells to treatment and metastasis control. Npj Vaccines, 10(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-024-01035-3
Mo, X., Lan, J., Wang, Y., Zhong, H., He, H., Yang, Z., Zhang, S., & Pan, W. (2025). Design of photoactivatable methylene blue-bufalin conjugate for GPX4-targeted degradation to induce ferroptosis-like death in breast cancer therapy. Bioorganic Chemistry, 163. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioorg.2025.108629
Mukhlis, L. (2025a). A Phenomenological Study of Personal Spiritual Experiences in Navigating Religious Pluralism within Interfaith Communities. Irfana: Journal of Religious Studies, 1(6), 212–220.
Mukhlis, L. (2025b). Spiritual Grounds for Economic Growth: A Qualitative Exploration of Rural Indonesian Women’s Transformative Journeys Through Mosque-Led Empowerment Programs. Servina: Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, 1(8), 289–298.
Mukhlis, L., & Abdullah, M. N. (2025). Hukum Keluarga Islam di Indonesia (1st ed.). Mukhlisina Revolution Center.
Mukhlis, L., Arifin, T., Ridwan, A. H., & Zulbaidah. (2024). Integrating Artificial Intelligenceand Maqāṣid al-Syarī‘ah: Revolutionizing Indonesia’s Sharia Online Trading System. Computer Fraud and Security, 2024(11), 301–309. https://doi.org/10.52710/cfs.238
Mukhlis, L., Arifin, T., Ridwan, A. H., & Zulbaidah. (2025). Reorientation of Sharia Stock Regulations: Integrating Taṣarrufāt al-Rasūl and Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah for Justice and Sustainability. Journal of Information Systems Engineering and Management, 10(10s), 58–66. https://doi.org/10.52783/jisem.v10i10s.1341
Mukhlis, L., Arifin, T., Ridwan, A. H., Zulbaidah, Rosadi, A., & Solehudin, E. (2025). Reformulation of Islamic Stock Law: The Application of Taṣarrufāt al-Rasūl and Maqāṣid al-Syarī‘ahto Develop a Dynamic and Sustainable Islamic Capital Market in Indonesia. Journal of Posthumanism, 5(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.63332/joph.v5i3.913
Mukhlis, L., Janwari, Y., & Syafe`i, R. (2023). INDONESIA STOCK EXCHANGE: THEORETICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS OF MUDHARABAH AND MUSYARAKAH CONTRACTS. Yurisprudentia: Jurnal Hukum Ekonomi, 9(2), 243–264. https://doi.org/10.24952/yurisprudentia.v9i2.8466
Mukhlis, L., Maryam, S., & Sormin, S. A. (2023). Model Pembelajaran Living History Berbasis PjBL Untuk Meningkatkan Keterampilan Histografi Mahasiswa. Jurnal Educatio FKIP UNMA, 9(4), 1800–1809. https://doi.org/10.31949/educatio.v9i4.5595
Mukhlis, L., & Saidah, Y. (2025). Dynamics of Nature-Based learning in Developing Children’s Motoricic Skills: Teacher and Parent Perspectives. HUMANISMA: Journal of Gender Studies, 9(1), 64–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.30983/humanisme.v4i2.9366
Mukhlis, L., Suradi, Janwari, Y., & Syafe`i, R. (2023). Sosialisasi Saham Syariah sebagai Instrumen Pengembangan Ekonomi Masyarakat di Badan Kontak Majelis Taklim (BKMT) Kabupaten Mandailing Natal. Jurnal Pengabdian Multidisiplin, 3(2), 2–9. https://doi.org/10.51214/japamul.v3i2.604
Ono, M., & Iwasaki, K. (2023). Comprehensive Analysis of Clinical Studies and Regulations of Therapeutic Applications in the United States and Japan. Therapeutic Innovation and Regulatory Science, 57(1), 86–99. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43441-022-00442-9
Shen, Z., Jiang, H., Lu, S., Tian, H., Gao, F., Deng, H., & Huang, C. (2025). Curcumin-based polymer prodrug nanoplatform for high-efficiency immunotherapy by synergistically suppression of head and neck cancer cell stemness. Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 23(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-025-03559-9
Tan, J., Zhu, D., Li, G., Hu, H., Lai, Z., & Li, Z. (2025). A novel theranostic system of PD-L1-Aptamer-functionalized fluorescent silica nanoparticles for triple-negative breast cancer. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine, 68. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2025.102834
Wu, Y., Chen, W., Deng, J., Zhou, X., Chen, J., Yang, Z., Cao, X., Liu, J., Tan, Q., Zhou, E., Li, M., Guo, M., & Jin, Y. (2025). Cancer-associated fibroblast-derived extracellular vesicles loaded with GLUT1 inhibitor synergize anti-PD-L1 to suppress tumor growth via degrading matrix stiffness and remodeling tumor microenvironment. Journal of Controlled Release, 385. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.113998
Yang, M., Shen, C., Zhu, S.-J., Zhang, Y., Jiang, H.-L., Bao, Y.-D., Yang, G.-Y., & Liu, J.-P. (2022). Chinese patent medicine Aidi injection for cancer care: An overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 282. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2021.114656
Zhai, Z., Li, C., Chen, L., Zhao, Y., Tang, X., Cao, L., Sun, H., & Zhong, Z. (2025). Antibody-mediated ratiometric delivery of FLT3 and CDK4/6 dual inhibitors for targeted treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. Journal of Controlled Release, 384. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.113934
Zhang, M., Zhou, Y., Yang, H., Zheng, G., Ren, L., Zhang, Z., Lin, L., He, Y., Wang, Q., & Zou, J. (2025). Bacteria-based drug-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles for synergistic FUAS of breast cancer. Cancer Nanotechnology, 16(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12645-025-00327-0