The effect of progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery in improving psychological well-being and quality-of-life for breast and prostate cancer patients: Initial report

BACKGROUND Mobile phone health apps are increasingly gaining attention in oncological care as potential tools for supporting cancer patients. Although the number of publications and health apps focusing on cancer is increasing, there are still few specifically designed for the most prevalent cancers diagnosed: breast and prostate cancers. There is a need to review the effect of these apps on breast and prostate cancer patients’ quality of life (QoL) and well-being. OBJECTIVE The purposes of this study were to review the scientific literature on mobile phone apps targeting breast or prostate cancer patients and involving QoL and well-being (anxiety and depression symptoms) and analyze the clinical and technological characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of these apps, as well as patients’ user experience with them. METHODS We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature from The Cochrane Library, Excerpta Medica Database, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and MEDLINE to identify studies involving apps focused on breast and/or prostate cancer patients and QoL and/or well-being published between January 1, 2000, and July 12, 2017. Only trial studies which met the inclusion criteria were selected. The systematic review was completed with a critical analysis of the apps previously identified in the health literature research that were available from the official app stores. RESULTS The systematic review of the literature yielded 3862 articles. After removal of duplicates, 3229 remained and were evaluated on the basis of title and abstract. Of these, 3211 were discarded as not meeting the inclusion criteria, and 18 records were selected for full text screening. Finally, 5 citations were included in this review, with a total of 644 patients, mean age 52.16 years. Four studies targeted breast cancer patients and 1 focused on prostate cancer patients. Four studies referred to apps that assessed QoL. Only 1 among the 5 analyzed apps was available from the official app store. In 3 studies, an app-related intervention was carried out, and 2 of them reported an improvement on QoL. The lengths of the app-related interventions varied from 4 to 12 weeks. Because 2 of the studies only tracked use of the app, no effect on QoL or well-being was found. CONCLUSIONS Despite the existence of hundreds of studies involving cancer-focused mobile phone apps, there is a lack of rigorous trials regarding the QoL and/or well-being assessment in breast and/or prostate cancer patients. A strong and collective effort should be made by all health care providers to determine those cancer-focused apps that effectively represent useful, accurate, and reliable tools for cancer patients’ disease management. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO CRD42017073069; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID= CRD42017073069 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6v38Clb9T)

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The effect of progressive muscle relaxation training on anxiety and quality of life after stoma surgery in colorectal cancer patients

Psycho-Oncology ◽

10.1002/pon.638 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 254-266 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

Yuk Lung Cheung ◽

Alexander Molassiotis ◽

Anne M. Chang

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Relaxation Training ◽

Muscle Relaxation ◽

Progressive Muscle Relaxation ◽

Colorectal Cancer Patients

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The effects of mindfulness meditation and progressive muscle relaxation on fatigue and quality of life in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant paclitaxel: A three-arm randomized trial.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2019.37.15_suppl.e12051 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e12051-e12051

Author(s):

Zehra Gok Metin ◽

Nur Izgu ◽

Canan Karadas ◽

Leyla Ozdemir ◽

Umut Demirci

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Muscle Relaxation ◽

Progressive Muscle Relaxation ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Control Group ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Cancer Data

e12051 Background: Breast cancer patients often suffer from fatigue during adjuvant paclitaxel regimen which frequently impairs quality of life (QOL). Therefore, this three-arm randomized controlled study aimed to examine the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on fatigue and QOL in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant paclitaxel. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to either a MBSR (n = 20), (PMR) (n = 19) or control group (CG) (n = 15). Participants in the intervention groups were instructed on MBSR and PGE, the steps of interventions were recorded a voice recorder and a WhatsApp group was designed by the principal investigator. Participants were asked to listen the recorded audio files during exercises. The intervention groups continued MBSR or PMR 20 min. each day, totally 12 weeks at their home. The CG received only an attention placebo education on breast cancer. Data collection tools included Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and Functional Living Index-Cancer (FLIC). Data were collected at three time points: baseline (T1), week 12 (T2), and week 14 (T3) for follow-up assessment. Kruskal Wallis tests was used for data analysis. Results: BFI scores were significantly lower in the MBSR, PMR groups compared with the CG at T2 and at T3 (p < .01). As for FLIC scores, there were no significant differences between the study groups at T2 and at T3 (p > 0.05). Conclusions: A brief, MBSR and PMR initiated concurrently with adjuvant paclitaxel regimen decreased fatigue severity. Based on the results, MBSR and PMR can be recommended as supportive therapies for breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant paclitaxel.

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The Effect of Exercise on Postpartum Women’s Quality of Life: A Systematic Review

Jurnal NERS ◽

10.20473/jn.v14i3.16950 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 146

Author(s):

Ni Putu Dian Ayu Anggraeni ◽

Lucky Herawati ◽

Melyana Nurul Widyawati ◽

I Komang Leo Triandana Arizona

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Pelvic Floor Muscle ◽

Muscle Relaxation ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Well Being ◽

Progressive Muscle Relaxation ◽

Postpartum Mothers ◽

Anxiety Depression

Postpartum mothers are vulnerable to several problems during the puerperium, such as fatigue, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, sexual problems, physical functioning and dissatisfaction with partner support that can affect their quality of life. The aim of this systematic review is to explore the effect of exercise on postpartum women’s quality of life. Comprehensive searches including experimental studies (including RCTs and non-randomized trials) from several databases, namely Scopus, PubMed, and Science-Direct, were used to search for scientific contributions published between 2009 and 2019. The articles are identified using the relevant keywords. This systematic review is guided by PRISMA. Fourteen of the 636 articles met both the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The postpartum exercises found in this study were Yoga, Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT), Pilates, Postnatal Exercise, Aerobic Exercise and Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). This review cannot provide definitive conclusions about the best form of exercise, the suggested duration or the timing needed to improve the quality of life for postpartum women. However, Yoga and Pilates are proven to effectively improve maternal well-being because this exercise focuses on increasing the physical, psychological and social support during the postpartum period. Further research is needed to provide evidence and to strengthen the results of this systematic review.

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Progressive muscle relaxation as a supportive intervention for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: A systematic review

Palliative & Supportive Care ◽

10.1017/s1478951516000870 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 465-473 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Panagiotis Pelekasis ◽

Ifigeneia Matsouka ◽

Anna Koumarianou

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Side Effects ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Muscle Relaxation ◽

Well Being ◽

Progressive Muscle Relaxation ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Control Group ◽

Supportive Intervention

ABSTRACTBackground:Many cancer patients use a wide variety of techniques to improve their physical and mental well-being, including relaxation therapy and, specifically, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). However, there is no strong evidence that supports the efficacy of this technique.Objective:Our aim was to review the evidence regarding the use of PMR as a supportive intervention for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapeutic treatment.Method:Six databases were electronically searched: AMED, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Scopus, and the Web of Science. After removing duplicates, 700 publications were screened and 57 identified as potentially relevant. The flow of information from record identification to study inclusion was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Original articles published in peer-reviewed journals that studied the use of PMR as an intervention, were randomized or included a matched control group, and that included patients receiving chemotherapy were included. Studies that combined PMR with other interventions were excluded. The methodological quality of included trials was assessed using the Jadad Scale and the CONSORT guidelines.Results:A total of 5 of the 57 papers fulfilled the preset criteria and were included in our systematic review. Our findings indicate that PMR might improve comfort and reduce the anxiety levels and side effects caused by chemotherapy, with the exception of vomiting. Nonetheless, the quality of all the included studies was extremely low.Significance of results:There is evidence that PMR might have a few benefits for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Still, the small number of studies included and their poor quality limit the significance of our results. Despite the fact that pharmaceutical approaches for controlling side effects might be reaching their full potential and that there might be further usefulness for such integrative treatments as PMR, the need to run more high-quality trials testing the efficacy of this technique is warranted before suggesting its adoption as part of standard cancer care.

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