TUESDAY, May 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Pharmacological interventions, notably methylphenidate (MPH)-type psychostimulants, reduce cancer-related fatigue (CRF), according to a review published in the May issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Bruno Almeida Costa, M.D., from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to examine the efficacy and safety of MPH and dexmethylphenidate (d-MPH) in managing CRF. Nine randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria, with 823 adults with advanced cancer or receiving active cancer-directed therapy.
The researchers found that MPH/d-MPH monotherapy (MPH-equivalent dose range, 5 to 100 mg/day) yielded significant improvements in fatigue score compared with placebo, as measured by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F; mean difference, 2.43), self-rated 0 to 10 scales (mean difference, −1.52), and any validated scale (standardized mean difference, 0.38). A temporal gradient was seen in FACIT-F improvements, exceeding the 3-point threshold for clinical meaningfulness by five weeks (mean difference, 3.56) and increasing further by eight or more weeks (mean difference, 3.89). There were no statistically significant differences seen in the odds of key treatment-emergent adverse events.
"What makes this finding particularly noteworthy is the time dimension: the benefit isn't fully apparent in the first couple of weeks, but by around five weeks, it reaches a level that genuinely matters in terms of patients' daily energy and function," Costa said in a statement. "For people dealing with a symptom that can be profoundly disabling, that is a meaningful contribution."
