Study | Intervention | Study design | Number of sites | Age in years, mean (SD) placebo arm | % males placebo arm | Tool to measure fatigue | Weeks | Placebo dosage | Route | Cancer stage | N |
Ashrafi et al22 | Bupropion | Two arms | ns | 55.2 (17.6) | 50 | FACIT-F | 4 | Once- a day | Oral | Palliative | 20 |
Auret et al23 | Dexamphetamine | Two arms | 1 | 67.8 (12.5) | 80 | BFI | 1 | Twice a day | Oral | Palliative | 18 |
Barton et al24 | Ginseng | Four arms | ns | 62 (13) | 35 | BFI | 8 | Twice a day | Oral | Curative | 39 |
Barton et al25 | Ginseng | Two arms | 40 | 55.9 (11.8) | 25 | MFSI-SF | 4 | Twice a day | Oral | Survivors | 153 |
Berenson et al26 | Armodafinil | Cross-over | 67 (2.3) | 60 | BFI | 4 | Once a day | Oral | Curative | 23 | |
Boele et al27 | Modafinil | Cross-over | 3 | ns | ns | CSI | 6 | Twice a day | Oral | Curative | 14 |
Bruera et al28 | Donepezil | Two arms | 2 | 56 (12.4) | 35.2 | FACIT-F | 1 | Once a day | Oral | Palliative | 56 |
Bruera et al29 | Methylphenidate | Two arms | 2 | ns | 41.5 | FACIT-F | 1 | prn | Oral | Palliative | 53 |
Chen et al30 | PG2 | Two arms | 1 | 56.9 (ns) | 37 | BFI | 4 | Less than once a day | Intravenous | Palliative | 30 |
Cruciani et al31 | Carnitine | Two arms | 2 | 70.3 (12.9) | 33 | FACT-An | 2 | Twice a day | Oral | Palliative | 12 |
Cruciani et al32 | Carnitine | Two arms | 24 | 62 (12.2) | 42.3 | BFI | 4 | Twice a day | Oral | Curative | 138 |
de Oliveira et al33 | Guarana | Cross-over† | 2 | ns | 0 | FACIT-F | 3 | Twice a day | Oral | ns | 60 |
Del Fabbro et al34 | Testosterone | Two arms | 2 | 63 (6) | 100 | FACIT-F | 4 | Less than once a day | IM | Palliative | 16 |
del Giglio et al35 | Guarana | Two arms | 52.17 | 15.17 | 31.2 | BFI | 3 | Twice a day | Oral | Any stage | 40 |
Eguchi et al36 | Corticosteroids | Two arms | 22 | ns | 62.5 | VAS | 1 | Twice a day | Oral | Palliative | 16 |
Escalante et al37 | Methylphenidate | Two arms | 1 | ns | 0 | BFI | 4 | Once a day | Oral | Curative | 33 |
Hovey et al38 | Modafinil | Two arms | 25 | 68 (10.7) | 78.6 | MDASI | 2 | Twice a day | Oral | Curative | 24 |
Jean-Pierre et al39 | Modafinil | Two arms | 2 | 60 (ns) | 34.1 | BFI item 3 | 8 | Progressive | Oral | Curative | 316 |
Kamath et al40 | TRH | Cross-over | 2 | 58 (9.4) | 12.5 | VAS-E | Less than once a day | Intravenous | Curative | 8 | |
Lee et al41 | Armodafinil | Two arms | ns | ns | 53.8 | FACIT-F | 6 | Once a day | Oral | Palliative | 29 |
Lower et al42 | Dexmethylphenidate | Two arms | 24 | 53.2 (8.4) | 6.5 | FACIT-F | 8 | Twice a day | Oral | Curative | 77 |
Lund Rasmussen et al43 | Melatonin | Cross-over† | 1 | 60/64 (ns) | MFI-20 | 2 | Once a day | Oral | Palliative | 50 | |
Moraska et al44 | Methylphenidate | Two arms | 60.6 (13.8) | 43 | BFI | 2 | Progressive | Oral | Curative | 63 | |
Morrow et al45 | Paroxetine | Two arms | 18 | 56.3 (12.3) | 28 | MAF question 1 | 8 | Once a day | Oral | Curative | 235 |
Richard et al46 | Methylphenidate | Two arms | 1 | ns | 100 | FACIT-F | 10 | Progressive | Oral | Curative | 12 |
Roth et al47 | Methylphenidate | Two arms | 71 (10) | 100 | BFI | 6 | progressive | Oral | Palliative | 13 | |
Sette et al48 | Guarana | Two arms | 1 | 55.7 (ns) | 0 | BFI | 5 | Twice a day | Oral | Curative | 5 |
Sette et al48 | Guarana | Two arms | 1 | 52 (ns) | 0 | BFI | 3 | Twice a day | Oral | Curative | 25 |
Spathis et al49 | Modafinil | Two arms | 24 | 69.1 (9.4) | 50.5 | FACIT-F | 4 | Progressive | Oral | Palliative | 85 |
Yennurajalingam et al50 | Dexamethasone | Two arms | 3 | ns | 59.9 | FACIT-F | 2 | Twice a day | Oral | Palliative | 41 |
Yennurajalingam et al51 | Ginseng | Two arms | 1 | ns | 62.5 | FACIT-F | 4 | Twice a day | Oral | Palliative | 56 |
*Cross-over design, but endpoint before cross-over, so studied as two arms.
†Cross-over with washout period, all placebo data were used.
BFI, Brief Fatigue Inventory; CSI, Checklist Individual Strength; FACIT-F, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Fatigue ; FACT-An, Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Anemia; IM, intramuscular; MAF, Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue; MDASI, MD Anderson Symptom Inventory; MFI, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory; MFSI-SF, Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory – Short Form; ns, not stated; TRH, thyrotropin-releasing hormone; VAS, Visual Analogue Scale; VAS-E, Visual Analog Scale-Energy.