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

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-473 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Telemedicine Use Among Caregivers of Cancer Patients: Systematic Review (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Marzorati ◽  
Chiara Renzi ◽  
Samuel William Russell-Edu ◽  
Gabriella Pravettoni
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Web Based

BACKGROUND The number of published studies and systematic reviews examining different telehealth interventions targeting patients and their effects on patients’ well-being and quality of life have grown in recent decades. However, the use of telemedicine tools aimed at the family members and caregivers of adult cancer patients is less defined. OBJECTIVE We aimed to conduct a systematic review to provide a more complete picture regarding telemedicine tools for informal caregivers (usually family members or close friends) implemented in all phases of cancer care. More specifically, the review aimed to better describe the study samples’ characteristics, to analyze measured outcomes and the specific questionnaires used to assess them, and to describe in depth the implemented interventions and their formats. Finally, we examined the role of telehealth, and usability and feasibility trends in supporting patients’ caregivers. METHODS We systematically searched the literature in the following databases: Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO. Inclusion criteria were being written in English, published in peer-reviewed journals, describing a telehealth-implemented intervention, and focusing on caregivers of adult cancer patients at any stage of the disease. We selected studies published up to November 2017. We critically appraised included articles using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and graded the quality of evidence by outcome using the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine framework. RESULTS We included 24 studies in the final selection. In 21 of the 24 studies, the patient-caregiver dyad was analyzed, and the study population dealt with different types of cancer at different stages. Included studies considered the caregiver’s condition from both an individual and a relational point of view. Along with psychosocial variables, some studies monitored engagement and user satisfaction regarding Web-based platforms or telehealth interventions. All studies reported significant improvements in some of the investigated areas, but they often showed small effect sizes. Two types of telehealth intervention formats were used: Web-based platforms and telephone calls. Some of the included studies referred to the same project, but on study samples with different cancer diagnoses or with new versions of previously developed interventions. CONCLUSIONS Reported outcomes seem to suggest that we are in an exploratory phase. More detailed and targeted research hypotheses are still needed. Clarifying caregivers’ needs related to telehealth tools and better defining outcome measures may yield more significant results.

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.

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.

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

Jurnal NERS ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Clinical Benefits of Acupuncture for the Reduction of Hormone Therapy–Related Side Effects in Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 602-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanqing Pan ◽  
Kehu Yang ◽  
Xiue Shi ◽  
Haiqian Liang ◽  
Xiping Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Hormone Therapy ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients

Importance. Acupuncture can help reduce unpleasant side effects associated with endocrine therapy for breast cancer. Nevertheless, comprehensive evaluation of current evidence from randomized controlled trials(RCTs) is lacking. Objective. To estimate the efficacy of acupuncture for the reduction of hormone therapy-related side effects in breast cancer patients. Evidence review. RCTs of acupuncture in breast cancer patients that examined reductions in hormone therapy–related side effects were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases through April 2016. The quality of the included studies was evaluated according to the 5.2 Cochrane Handbook standards, and CONSORT and STRICTA (Revised Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture) statements. Intervention. Interventions included conventional acupuncture treatment compared with no treatment, placebo, or conventional pharmaceutical medication. Major outcome measures were the alleviation of frequency and symptoms and the presence of hormone therapy–related side effects. Findings/Results. A total of 17 RCTs, including a total of 810 breast cancer patients were examined. The methodological quality of the trials was relatively rigorous in terms of randomization, blinding, and sources of bias. Compared with control therapies, the pooled results suggested that acupuncture had moderate effects in improving stiffness. No significant differences were observed in hot flashes, fatigue, pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, Kupperman index, general well-being, physical well-being, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and interleukin (IL). Conclusions. Acupuncture therapy appears to be potentially useful in relieving functional stiffness. However, further large-sample trials with evidence-based design are still needed to confirm these findings.

scholarly journals Role of Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Preventing and Alleviating of Nausea and Vomiting Caused by Chemotherapy among Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review of Six Randomized Controlled Trials

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Tian ◽  
Ling-Li Xu ◽  
Rong-Ying Tang ◽  
Hui Chen ◽  
Yuan-Ping Pi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Muscle Relaxation ◽  
Biomedical Literature ◽  
Progressive Muscle Relaxation ◽  
Nausea And Vomiting ◽  
Primary Tumors ◽  
Delayed Nausea ◽  
Present Systematic Review

(1) Background: Previous systematic review suggested a beneficial effect of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. However, poor quality of eligible studies impaired the reliability and validity of findings. Moreover, additional potential studies with good quality published in Chinese language have been published recently. The aim of the present systematic review was to investigate the value of PMR training in preventing and alleviating nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy among cancer patients. (2) Methods: We assigned two independent investigators to search all potential studies in PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trial (CENTRAL), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), China Biomedical Literature database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang data. We used data extraction sheet extracted all essential information, and used the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool to appraise the quality of eligible studies. Finally, we qualitatively summarized the results of all included studies. (3) Results: Six studies enrolling 288 patients were considered to meet our selection criteria finally. Of these 6 studies, three were labeled as moderate quality, and the remaining studies were low quality. All included studies consistently suggested that PMR has a positive impact on nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy among cancer patients especially alleviating the incidence, frequency and degree of delayed nausea and vomiting. (4) Conclusions: Independent studies indicated that PMR was a beneficial approach to prevent and alleviate nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy among cancer patients. However, further studies considering other types of primary tumors should be designed in order to increase the generality of PMR because studies included in the present systematic review mainly enrolled lung cancer and breast cancer.

scholarly journals The effect of progressive muscle relaxation interventions on depression, stress, anxiety, and quality of life for cancer patients: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-42
Author(s):  
Sholihin Yusuf ◽  
Tria Anisa Firmanti ◽  
Muhammad Nashir ◽  
Roudlotun Nurul Laili
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Muscle Relaxation ◽  
Progressive Muscle Relaxation ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
The Impact

Patients with cancer experience emotional distress which characterized by psychological symptoms such as anxiety or depression, psychological symptoms that arise and complex cancer processes have negative impact on their quality of life. Many cancer patients use a wide variety of techniques to improve their psychological symptoms and quality of life including relaxation therapy and specifically, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). The systematic review purpose was to review the evidence regarding the use of PMR intervention for cancer patients. Thirty four published studies and nine identified original article as potentially relevant , undertaken in the past six years until now (2013 to 2019) with data bases in Scopus, Proquest, Google Scholar, Oxford, and Science direct Searches. The information flow chart from record identification to study inclusion was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA and extracted data with PICOT. The impact of progressive muscle relaxation interventions remained in effect for between seven days and six month after the interventions.. Progressive muscle relaxation intervention is the technique including continous and systematic stretching and relaxing of the muscles until the whole body becomes relaxed. It has effects in improving depression, stress, anxiety and quality of life via physical relaxation.

scholarly journals An Overview of Systematic Reviews: Complementary Therapies for Cancer Patients

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 153473541989002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seong Min Lee ◽  
Ho Cheol Choi ◽  
Min Kyung Hyun
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Complementary Therapies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cancer Type

Introduction: This article critically examines the systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analysis (MA) of complementary therapies for cancer patients to appraise the evidence level, and offers suggestions for future research and practice. Methods: The Cochrane Library and MEDLINE were searched from their inception to January 2018, to identify SR and MA of complementary therapies available for cancer patients. Final selected SR and MA were methodologically evaluated for their quality by applying the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2) instrument. Data extraction and risk of quality assessments were performed by 2 independent reviewers. Results: A total of 104 studies were included in the analysis. The majority of the individual clinical trials included in the SR and MA were performed in China (48%) and the United States (26.9%). Breast cancer was the most studied cancer type (25%), and acupuncture was the most studied intervention (21%). Side effects of cancer such as pain, depression, and fatigue were effectively managed with complementary therapies. The methodologically problematic items included not listing the excluded studies and lack of protocol or protocol registration. Conclusions: With increasing interest in research, complementary therapies appear to be beneficial in reducing side effects and raising the quality of life of cancer patients. Complementary therapies have generally been studied for all cancers, with acupuncture being the most researched, regardless of the cancer type. Since AMSTAR2 is a stricter assessment tool than before, future studies need to consider the risk of methodological bias with caution and discuss appropriate overall quality assessment tools.

Evaluation of side effects in cancer patients during oncological care: A project of the supportive care group of the tumor center Berlin

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e20715-e20715
Author(s):  
P. C. Feyer ◽  
U. Steiner ◽  
N. Bangemann ◽  
S. Kurz ◽  
C. Rudolph ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Treatment Protocol ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Group ◽  
Specific Therapy ◽  
Tumour Therapy

e20715 Background: The therapeutic options in tumour treatment protocols include a maximum of tumour cell reduction and at the same time a minimum of side effects in order to secure a good quality of life for the cancer patient. Temporary side effects have been accepted in relation to the benefit risk calculation. A questionnaire for cancer patients was developed to improve the management of side effects of the cancer treatment, to optimize the patient-doctor communication and to register individual problems of the patient. Methods: Cancer patients received a questionnaire with 25 items and were asked for their problems during or after the last tumour specific treatment before having the consultation with the doctor. Gender, age, Karnofsky-index and treatment protocol were additional registered. During September 2007 until December 2007 a total of 272 questionnaires could be collected. The qualitative items have been evaluated with the contigens table method and the parameter free x2 test (Chi-Square-Test). Results: More than 50% of the patients documented additional important points influencing their well being. Nearly all of the evaluated patients had some tumour therapy specific side effects. The most pronounced problem was the physical exhaustion in 71% of the evaluated patients. More than 50% were influenced in their quality of life by more than normal fatigue since the start of their tumour specific therapy. Significant differences could be evaluated in relation to the age, diagnosis and tumour therapy with respect to the symptoms. Conclusions: The questionnaire was be found to be a good method to improve the communication between the patient and the doctor. It was easier to point out individual problems for the patient. The care givers can focus more precisely on important side effects of the tumour specific therapy in order to improve the quality of life of the treated patient. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

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