Scherber, Robyn M, Kosiorek, Heidi E, Senyak, Zhenya et al. · Cancer · 2016 · DOI
This study surveyed nearly 1,800 people with myeloproliferative neoplasms (blood cancers) about their fatigue. Researchers found that fatigue was very common and severe, and it was worse in people who were overweight, used alcohol or tobacco, didn't exercise, or had other conditions like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. The study also found that many people with these blood cancers had depression, which was linked to their fatigue.
This study is relevant to ME/CFS research because it comprehensively examines fatigue etiology in a large patient cohort and identifies multiple overlapping conditions—including chronic fatigue syndrome itself—that worsen fatigue outcomes. The strong association between fatigue severity and depression, combined with identification of modifiable lifestyle factors, suggests that multifactorial approaches to fatigue management may benefit both MPN patients and those with ME/CFS who experience similar symptom burdens.
This study does not prove causation—only association. For example, finding that antidepressant use correlates with worse fatigue does not mean the medications cause fatigue; it may reflect that sicker patients are more likely to be prescribed these drugs. The cross-sectional design cannot establish temporal relationships, and findings from MPN patients may not directly apply to ME/CFS populations, which have distinct pathophysiology.
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
Scherber, Robyn M, Kosiorek, Heidi E, Senyak, Zhenya, Dueck, Amylou C, Clark, Matthew M, Boxer, Michael A, et al. (2016). Comprehensively understanding fatigue in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.. Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.29753
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-scherber-2016-comprehensively-understanding,
author = {Scherber, Robyn M and Kosiorek, Heidi E and Senyak, Zhenya and Dueck, Amylou C and Clark, Matthew M and Boxer, Michael A and Geyer, Holly L and McCallister, Archie and Cotter, Mary and Van Husen, Barbara and Harrison, Claire N and Mesa, Ruben A},
title = {Comprehensively understanding fatigue in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.},
journal = {Cancer},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1002/cncr.29753},
note = {PubMed: 26670597},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/scherber-2016-comprehensively-understanding},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/scherber-2016-comprehensively-understanding
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