The Effect of Melatonin Supplementation on Fatigue Symptoms During Chemotherapy Treatment of Breast Cancer Patients

You may be eligible if

• 1. adult women (≥ 18 years of age) with BC diagnosis who underwent chemotherapy at the time of invitation,
• 2. women receiving pharmacological treatment that did not interact with melatonin,
• 3. women receiving standard pharmacological treatment for at least last two months prior to study initiation,
• 4. patients with good performance status, as indicated by scoring "0 or 1" of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Performance Status (ECOG PS) questionnaire \[26\],
• 5. patients not needing a transfusion, as indicated by hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL,
• 6. patients having the ability to understand and give a written statement of consent.
• Patients were excluded from the study when:
• 7. fatigue was attributed to conditions other than cancer e.g., uncontrolled hypothyroidism, hypercalcemia, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
• 8. using pharmacological agents for CRF or sleeping disorders prior to the study,
• 9. pharmacological treatment that was modified during the study or that could interact with melatonin,
• 10. diagnosed with gastrointestinal diseases that could affect absorption of nutrients such as inflammatory bowel diseases infections.
• 11. diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as depression, psychosis, bipolar disorder, and receiving equivalent medication.
• 12. excessive alcohol consumption.
• 13. a lifestyle that can affect sleep patterns (e.g., night shifts).
• 14. patients with a poor clinical state as indicated by laboratory markers: creatinine clearance \< 30 mL/min; aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \> 3 x upper limit of normal (ULN); alanine aminotransferase (ALT) \> 3 x ULN; bilirubin \> 1 x ULN.