Cancer Patients Circadian Rhythm Assessment Based on
Morningness-Eveningness Preference
Abstract
Background: The circadian rhythm regulates various physiological
processes, including sleep-wake cycle, cell division and cancer
development. Aims: This study aimed to investigate circadian rhythm
patterns in cancer patients. Methods and results: In this
cross-sectional study, 150 cancer patients admitted to the internal ward
of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex in the fall of 2022 were
evaluated. The demographic characteristics of patients were collected
using a checklist. Patients also completed a morningness-eveningness
questionnaire (MEQ). Utilizing Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Fisher’s
exact test, circadian rhythm types with continuous and categorical
variables were compared. The mean age of the study’s participants was
49.83 ± 14.53 years. A total of 82.7% (n=124) had non-hematological
cancers, and breast cancer was the most prevalent type of cancer among
patients (23.3%). The MEQ of the patients studied ranged from 41 to 74,
with a mean score of 56.6 ± 6.34. Conclusion: According to the findings
of this study, the circadian rhythm is distributed normally among the
participants.