How long does cancer fatigue last?

How long does cancer fatigue last?

Everyone’s experience with cancer fatigue is unique. For some people, fatigue lasts a few weeks. Others may feel exhausted for years. You may feel better when your cancer treatments stop, but often fatigue lingers.

• Bone marrow transplants can cause prolonged fatigue that lasts up to a year.
• Radiation therapy fatigue often gets worse as treatments progress. Fatigue should lessen a few months after you stop treatment.
• Surgery tends to cause temporary fatigue that goes away after you recover.
• Systemic treatments (medications that circulate in blood) can cause fatigue that comes and goes. These treatments include chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy. You may be exhausted while taking the medications and feel better during the recovery phase (no medication). When treatment resumes, you feel exhausted again. You should have more energy when you finish the treatment.