Circadian Rhythms and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients

Circadian rhythms are the intrinsic, near-24-hour cycles that regulate an array of physiological and behavioural processes, including sleep–wake patterns, hormone secretion and body temperature. In individuals with cancer, disruptions to these rhythms can exacerbate fatigue, impair sleep quality and heighten symptom burden, thereby diminishing overall quality of life. Growing evidence indicates that malignancy and its treatments interfere with the master clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, as well as peripheral oscillators, leading to fragmented rest–activity cycles. This disruption often manifests as daytime somnolence, nocturnal insomnia and altered hormonal profiles, which together contribute to diminished physical, emotional and social functioning. Understanding the biobehavioural mechanisms linking circadian dysregulation to symptom severity has stimulated the development of objective monitoring tools, stratified patient subgroups based on rhythm phenotypes and targeted interventions—such as timed light exposure, behavioural scheduling and chronomodulated therapies—with the aim of preserving or restoring circadian integrity and improving patient-centred outcomes.

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Circadian Rhythms and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in circadian rhythms and quality of life in cancer patients across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Circadian rhythms: Endogenous near-24-hour cycles regulating physiological and behavioural processes.

Actigraphy: Non-invasive method of monitoring rest–activity cycles via a wearable accelerometer.

Dichotomy index (I < O): Proportion of in-bed time when activity is lower than out-of-bed time, reflecting rhythm robustness.

Chronotype: Individual preference for activity and sleep timing, typically described as morning or evening type.

Suprachiasmatic nucleus: Hypothalamic structure that serves as the central circadian pacemaker.

References

1. Circadian rest‐activity rhythm as an objective biomarker of patient‐reported outcomes in patients with advanced cancer. Cancer Medicine (2018).
2. The association of circadian parameters and the clustering of fatigue, depression, and sleep problems in breast cancer survivors: a latent class analysis. Journal of Cancer Survivorship (2022).
3. Circadian disruption and cancer- and treatment-related symptoms. Frontiers in Oncology (2022).