Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2021 Nov;163(2):419-426.
doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2021.09.002. Epub 2021 Sep 11.

Distinct sleep disturbance profiles among patients with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy

Rachel A Pozzar  1 , Marilyn J Hammer  1 , Steven M Paul  2 , Bruce A Cooper  2 , Kord M Kober  2 , Yvette P Conley  3 , Jon D Levine  4 , Christine Miaskowski  5
Affiliations
Observational Study

Distinct sleep disturbance profiles among patients with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy

Rachel A Pozzar et al. Gynecol Oncol. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: In a sample of patients with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy, we sought to identify subgroups of patients with distinct sleep disturbance profiles and assess for differences in patient characteristics and the severity of co-occurring symptoms among these subgroups.

Methods: Adults with gynecologic cancer (n = 232) completed questionnaires six times over two chemotherapy cycles. Sleep disturbance was assessed using the General Sleep Disturbance Scale (GSDS). Clinically meaningful sleep disturbance was defined as a GSDS total score of ≥43. Subgroups of patients with distinct sleep disturbance profiles were identified using latent profile analysis. Differences in patient characteristics and co-occurring symptoms were assessed using Chi-square, Kruskal Wallis, and one-way analysis of variance.

Results: Four distinct sleep disturbance profiles were identified: Low (18.5%), Moderate (43.6%), High (29.3%), and Very High (8.6%). Compared to the Low class, patients in the other three classes had lower functional status scores and higher levels of depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, and morning and evening fatigue. Compared to the Low class, patients in the Very High class were younger, had a higher body mass index, and were more likely to report a diagnosis of depression or back pain.

Conclusions: Over 80% of the patients with gynecologic cancer reported sleep disturbance that persisted over two cycles of chemotherapy. Patients in the Very High class experienced problems with both sleep initiation and maintenance. Clinicians should routinely assess sleep disturbance alongside depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Interventions that target the underlying mechanisms of these co-occurring symptoms are warranted.

Keywords: Chemotherapy; Depression; Fatigue; Insomnia; Ovarian neoplasms; Pain; Sleep disturbance; Uterine neoplasms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources