Clinical and molecular study of fatigue in metastatic colon-rectum cancer

• Grant number: 10/19961-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: June 01, 2011 - May 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Fernanda Maris Peria
• Grantee: Fernanda Maris Peria
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Daniela Pretti da Cunha Tirapelli ; Harley Francisco de Oliveira ; Lilian de Andrade Sá ; Miraya da Silva Leandro ; Omar Feres

Abstract

Fatigue is one of the most frequent symptoms in cancer patients, characterized by profound fatigue that is not relieved by rest. This symptom can be identified at the time of diagnosis and could affects up to 90% of patients undergoing cancer treatment. There are some instruments available in the literature that can characterize the presence of fatigue through clinical questioning, as the FACIT-F. Factors such as anemia, disorders of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, alterations in serotonin metabolism in the brain, increased activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines in plasma and TNF-alpha has been correlated with the pathophysiology of fatigue and some pathways of genes expressions and their respective miRNA regulations have been also exploited in the molecular characterization of fatigue looking for new possible targets therapeutic against this symptom. Considering the large population of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with chemotherapy and the prevalence of fatigue in these patients, this study aims to evaluate the presence of fatigue in cancer patients with metastatic colorectal cancer before the first second, third and fourth cycles of chemotherapy regimen containing CAPOX (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) by applying the evaluation questionnaire FACIT-F fatigue in these patients and to correlate the presence of fatigue with the serum value of TNF, the gene expression of serum TNF and serum expression of mi-RNA in the 146-every moment of the questionnaire. This study will be developed in our Chemotherapy Center at HC-FMRP-USP and molecular investigations will be conducted at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Surgery and Anatomy, FMRP-USP. (AU)