scholarly journals Additional Therapy with a Mistletoe Product during Adjuvant Chemotherapy of Breast Cancer Patients Improves Quality of Life: An Open Randomized Clinical Pilot Trial

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilfried Tröger ◽  
Zdravko Ždrale ◽  
Nevena Tišma ◽  
Miodrag Matijašević
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Adjuvant Chemotherapy ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Open Label

Background. Breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy often experience a loss of quality of life. Moreover chemotherapy may induce neutropenia. Patients report a better quality of life when additionally treated with mistletoe products during chemotherapy.Methods. In this prospective randomized open-label pilot study 95 patients were randomized into three groups. All patients were treated with an adjuvant chemotherapy. The primary objective of the study was quality of life, the secondary objective was neutropenia. Here we report the comparison of HxA (n= 34) versus untreated control (n= 31).Results. In the explorative analysis ten of 15 scores of the EORTC QLQ-C30 showed a better quality of life in the HxA group compared to the control group (P<0.001toP=0.038in Dunnett-T3 test). The difference was clinically relevant (difference of at least 5 points, range 5.4–12.2) in eight of the ten scores. Neutropenia occurred in 7/34 HxA patients and in 8/31 control patients (P= 0.628).Conclusions. This pilot study showed an improvement of quality of life by treating breast cancer patients with HxA additionally to CAF. Although the open design may be a limitation, the findings show the feasibility of a confirmatory study using the methods described here.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Yoga Among a Multiethnic Sample of Breast Cancer Patients: Effects on Quality of Life

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (28) ◽  
pp. 4387-4395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyson B. Moadel ◽  
Chirag Shah ◽  
Judith Wylie-Rosett ◽  
Melanie S. Harris ◽  
Sapana R. Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Spiritual Well Being ◽  
Multiethnic Sample

Purpose This study examines the impact of yoga, including physical poses, breathing, and meditation exercises, on quality of life (QOL), fatigue, distressed mood, and spiritual well-being among a multiethnic sample of breast cancer patients. Patients and Methods One hundred twenty-eight patients (42% African American, 31% Hispanic) recruited from an urban cancer center were randomly assigned (2:1 ratio) to a 12-week yoga intervention (n = 84) or a 12-week waitlist control group (n = 44). Changes in QOL (eg, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy) from before random assignment (T1) to the 3-month follow-up (T3) were examined; predictors of adherence were also assessed. Nearly half of all patients were receiving medical treatment. Results Regression analyses indicated that the control group had a greater decrease in social well-being compared with the intervention group after controlling for baseline social well-being and covariates (P < .0001). Secondary analyses of 71 patients not receiving chemotherapy during the intervention period indicated favorable outcomes for the intervention group compared with the control group in overall QOL (P < .008), emotional well-being (P < .015), social well-being (P < .004), spiritual well-being (P < .009), and distressed mood (P < .031). Sixty-nine percent of intervention participants attended classes (mean number of classes attended by active class participants = 7.00 ± 3.80), with lower adherence associated with increased fatigue (P < .001), radiotherapy (P < .0001), younger age (P < .008), and no antiestrogen therapy (P < .02). Conclusion Despite limited adherence, this intent-to-treat analysis suggests that yoga is associated with beneficial effects on social functioning among a medically diverse sample of breast cancer survivors. Among patients not receiving chemotherapy, yoga appears to enhance emotional well-being and mood and may serve to buffer deterioration in both overall and specific domains of QOL.

scholarly journals The Effect of Art Therapy and Music Therapy on Breast Cancer Patients: What We Know and What We Need to Find Out—A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Justina Kievisiene ◽  
Rasa Jautakyte ◽  
Alona Rauckiene-Michaelsson ◽  
Natalja Fatkulina ◽  
Cesar Agostinis-Sobrinho
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Art Therapy ◽  
Anxiety Reduction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients

Objective. To systematically review the evidence available on the effects of art therapy and music therapy interventions in patients with breast cancer. Design. Systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EBSCO, and Cochrane Central databases. Articles were scanned using the following keywords: “art therapy” or “music therapy” and “breast cancer” or “breast neoplasms,” “breast carcinoma,” “breast tumor,” and “mammary cancer.” Only RCTs published in English, with a control group and experimental group, and presenting pre-/post-therapy results were included. PRISMA guidelines for this systematic review were followed. Results. Twenty randomized controlled trials matched the eligibility criteria. Nine studies evaluated the effect of art therapy, and eleven evaluated the effect of music therapy. Improvements were measured in stress, anxiety, depression reduction, pain, fatigue, or other cancer-related somatic symptoms’ management. Overall, the results show that art therapy was oriented towards the effects on quality of life and emotional symptoms while music therapy is the most often applied for anxiety reduction purposes during or before surgeries or chemotherapy sessions. Conclusion. Art and music therapies show effective opportunities for breast cancer patients to reduce negative emotional state and improve the quality of life and seem to be promising nonmedicated treatment options in breast oncology. However, more detailed and highly descriptive single therapy and primary mental health outcome measuring RCTs are necessary to draw an evidence-based advise for the use of art and music therapies.

scholarly journals Effects of Behavioral Activation on the Quality of Life and Emotional State of Lung Cancer and Breast Cancer Patients During Chemotherapy Treatment

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Concepción Fernández-Rodríguez ◽  
Erica Villoria-Fernández ◽  
Paula Fernández-García ◽  
Sonia González-Fernández ◽  
Marino Pérez-Álvarez
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Behavioral Activation ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Chemotherapy Treatment

Research suggests that the progressive abandonment of activities in cancer patients are related to depression and worse quality of life. Behavioral activation (BA) encourages subjects to activate their sources of reinforcement and modify the avoidance responses. This study assesses the effectiveness of BA in improving quality of life and preventing emotional disorders during chemotherapy treatment. One sample of lung cancer patients and another of breast cancer patients were randomized into a BA experimental group (E.G.lung/4sess. n = 50; E.G.breast/6sess. n = 33) and a control group (C.G.lung/4sess. n = 40; C.G.breast/6sess. n = 35), respectively. In each session and in follow-ups (3/6/9 months), all participants completed different assessment scales. The results converge to show the effectiveness of BA, encouraging cancer patients to maintain rewarding activities which can activate their sources of day-to-day reinforcement and modify their experience avoidance patterns. BA appears to be a practical intervention which may improve social and role functioning and the emotional state of cancer patients during chemotherapy treatment.

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.

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