Cancer-related fatigue is an extremely common and debilitating psychiatric symptom that affects up to 80% of cancer patients. Despite its negative impact on the patient’s quality of life, there is no well-established biomarker or mechanisms associated with this debilitating condition. The functional brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been associated with a variety of psychiatric illnesses. We hypothesized that Val66Met may influence the risk for developing cancer-related fatigue. BDNF Val66Met was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction in 180 patients with confirmed cancer diagnoses. Fatigue was measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue) questionnaire. Depression was measured using the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D). Data were transformed when necessary and regression models were constructed to access the association between genotype and symptom severity. Participants carrying the Met allele reported significantly less fatigue compared to the Val/Val genotype group. The presence of the Met allele did not influence depression levels. The results suggest that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism confers protective advantage against cancer-related fatigue; whereas having the Val/Val genotype may be a genetic risk factor. Findings from this study not only provide clues to the neural basis of cancer-related fatigue, but also allow for symptom severity prediction and patient education with the goal to improve symptom management.

与癌症相关的疲劳是一种极为常见且使人衰弱的精神症状，影响多达 80% 的癌症患者。尽管它对患者的生活质量产生负面影响，但没有与这种使人衰弱的病症相关的成熟的生物标志物或机制。功能性脑源性神经营养因子 (BDNF) Val66Met 单核苷酸多态性 (SNP) 与多种精神疾病有关。我们假设 Val66Met 可能会影响发生癌症相关疲劳的风险。BDNF Val66Met 通过聚合酶链反应对 180 名确诊癌症患者进行了分析。使用癌症治疗疲劳功能评估 (FACIT-Fatigue) 问卷测量疲劳。使用汉密尔顿抑郁量表（HAM-D）测量抑郁症。必要时对数据进行转换，并构建回归模型以了解基因型与症状严重程度之间的关联。与 Val/Val 基因型组相比，携带 Met 等位基因的参与者报告的疲劳显着减少。Met 等位基因的存在不影响抑郁水平。结果表明，BDNF Val66Met 多态性赋予对抗癌症相关疲劳的保护优势；而具有 Val/Val 基因型可能是遗传风险因素。这项研究的结果不仅为癌症相关疲劳的神经基础提供了线索，而且还可以进行症状严重程度预测和患者教育，以改善症状管理。与 Val/Val 基因型组相比，携带 Met 等位基因的参与者报告的疲劳显着减少。Met 等位基因的存在不影响抑郁水平。结果表明，BDNF Val66Met 多态性赋予对抗癌症相关疲劳的保护优势；而具有 Val/Val 基因型可能是遗传风险因素。这项研究的结果不仅为癌症相关疲劳的神经基础提供了线索，而且还可以进行症状严重程度预测和患者教育，以改善症状管理。与 Val/Val 基因型组相比，携带 Met 等位基因的参与者报告的疲劳显着减少。Met 等位基因的存在不影响抑郁水平。结果表明，BDNF Val66Met 多态性赋予对抗癌症相关疲劳的保护优势；而具有 Val/Val 基因型可能是遗传风险因素。这项研究的结果不仅为癌症相关疲劳的神经基础提供了线索，而且还可以进行症状严重程度预测和患者教育，以改善症状管理。而具有 Val/Val 基因型可能是遗传风险因素。这项研究的结果不仅为癌症相关疲劳的神经基础提供了线索，而且还可以进行症状严重程度预测和患者教育，以改善症状管理。而具有 Val/Val 基因型可能是遗传风险因素。这项研究的结果不仅为癌症相关疲劳的神经基础提供了线索，而且还可以进行症状严重程度预测和患者教育，以改善症状管理。