There was no statistically or clinically significant difference in fatigue in patients with advanced cancer receiving MPH versus placebo after 6 (± 2) weeks. MPH should not be prescribed for this indication. Further trials of this MPH for fatigue in patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care are not warranted. Although we found some nominal improvements in fatigue at other time points, the effects were small and below the level that would be meaningful to patients’ well-being. Moreover, patients receiving MPH did not report improvements in overall QoL, nor did they feel that the MPH provided any greater benefit than placebo.
Methylphenidate versus placebo for fatigue in patients with advanced cancer: the MePFAC randomised controlled trial · Conclusions
Conclusions
Attribution. Patrick Stone; Ollie Minton; Alison Richardson; Peter Buckle; Zinat E Enayat; Louise Marston et al. (2025). Methylphenidate versus placebo for fatigue in patients with advanced cancer: the MePFAC randomised controlled trial. National Institute for Health and Care Research. Copyright © 2025 Stone et al. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. NCBI Bookshelf NBK616759. CC BY 4.0. Original source ↗. Text reproduced from the Bookshelf XML without changing wording; figures, images and supplements are not reproduced.