Archives in Cancer Research

Professor in Oncology, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, USA

Barbara Daly is currently working as an eminent Faculty member at Professor in Oncology, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, USA. She had published numerous research papers and articles in reputed journals and have various other achievements in the related studies.

Association between Mitochondrial Bioenergetics and Radiation- Related Fatigue: A Possible Mechanism and Novel Target

Background: Fatigue is one of the cancer symptoms most often reported by patients receiving radiation therapy (XRT). Understanding the mechanism behind the development of cancer-related fatigue will enable the design of novel interventions for radiation-induced fatigue. This research proposal is designed to determine the association between mitochondrial bioenergetics and fatigue in prostate cancer patients receiving XRT.

Methods and Results: We proposed a mechanism of mitochondrial bioenergetics for cancer-related fatigue based on a molecular-genetic approach, linking impaired ATP production as a consequence of XRT. This prospective, hypothesis-testing project uses a matched case-control, repeated-measures design. Peripheral blood will be collected from each subject at 3 timepoints (baseline, midpoint, and endpoint) to determine mitochondrial bioenergetics profile. Fatigue will be measured using validated questionnaires (The revised Piper Fatigue Scale and Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System for Fatigue). Based on preliminary findings, we hypothesize that decreased BCS1L leads to a decrease of Rieske iron-sulfur protein incorporation into complex III.