Resumen: Purpose
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common and debilitating symptom experienced by breast cancer survivors (BCS) following treatment. The influence of genetics on CRF has been sparingly investigated. This article aims to explore the suggested impact of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met genotypes on fatigue and to evaluate the effect on other potentially related patient-reported outcomes such as quality of life, diet, pain, or emotional facets; and also the effect on objective variables such as, heart rate variability (HRV), physical activity (PA), and biomarkers (cortisol, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and noradrenaline).
Methods
A total of 79 BCS who had finished their treatment participated in this study. COMT genotypes were categorized as Val/Val, Val/Met, or Met/Met. PERFORM questionnaire was utilized to evaluate CRF. PA and HRV were objectively measured. The rest of the variables was assessed by questionnaires.
Results
BCS with Met/Met genotype reported higher levels of fatigue (p = 0.031), compared to those with Val/Met or Val/Val genotypes. No additional associations were found with other self-reported variables, HRV, PA, or the analysed biomarkers. The findings suggest that BCS with Met/Met genotype exhibit more elevated levels of fatigue.