Sato, Daisuke · Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2020 · DOI
This study looked at fatigue in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy who lived in an area affected by a major earthquake in Japan. Researchers measured both what patients reported about their tiredness and objective measurements of nervous system function and activity levels. The main finding was that patients showed changes in how their nervous system was functioning, with their stress-response system becoming more dominant over time.
While this study focuses on cancer-related fatigue rather than ME/CFS, it is relevant because it demonstrates the value of using objective biomarkers (autonomic nervous system function, actigraphy) alongside subjective fatigue reports—an approach that could strengthen ME/CFS assessment and research. Understanding how post-disaster stress interacts with disease-related fatigue may also provide insights into how environmental stressors exacerbate fatigue conditions.
This study does not establish that findings in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy apply to ME/CFS patients. The small sample size (n=10) and observational design without a control group prevent causal conclusions about the relationship between disaster stress and fatigue. The study is also disease-specific to cancer and chemotherapy-related fatigue, which has different biological mechanisms than ME/CFS.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Sato, Daisuke (2020). Evaluation of Fatigue in Cancer Patients in An Area Affected by The Great East Japan Earthquake.. Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing. https://doi.org/10.4103/apjon.apjon_52_19
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sato-2020-evaluation-fatigue,
author = {Sato, Daisuke},
title = {Evaluation of Fatigue in Cancer Patients in An Area Affected by The Great East Japan Earthquake.},
journal = {Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.4103/apjon.apjon_52_19},
note = {PubMed: 32478139},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sato-2020-evaluation-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sato-2020-evaluation-fatigue
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