Feasibility and Impact of Group Interventions on Breast Cancer Patients Well-being

Summary

This is a clinical non-randomized prospective study. This study had two objectives. The fist one was to determine the interest of breast cancer patients in participating in one of three group interventions (CBT, yoga or self-hypnosis) by assessing the participation rate, the reasons for choosing a particular group or decline the offer. The second objective was to evaluate and compare the benefits of these three interventions on emotional distress, QoL, sleep quality and mental adjustment to cancer, at three times after the end of the interventions (just after the end, at a 3-month and at a 9-month follow-up).

Conditions

• Breast Cancer

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Yoga intervention

Hatha-yoga intervention included 6 weekly 90-min sessions in groups of 3 to 8 participants led by Hatha-yoga trained teachers. This program was developed previously in Montreal and the following were included at each session: 1) preparatory warm-up synchronized with breathing; 2) selected postures (e.g. forward , backward-, and side-bending asanas in sitting and lying positions); 3) deep relaxation; 4) alternate-nostril breathing or pranayama; and 5) meditation. Each participant received a DVD to encourage at-home practice.

BEHAVIORAL

Hypnosis intervention

Hypnosis intervention included 6 sessions of 2 hours every 2 weeks. This was led by an anesthesist with experience in oncology and trained in hypnosis. Based on years of consultation with cancer patients, her team created a negotiating approach that fosters shared decision-making through using tasks that are centered on general well-being rather than on the health problem itself. Patients were asked to be actively involved. Several topics are addressed through tasks: eg. adjusting self-expectations. Patients were also required to keep a work-diary that was reviewed at the beginning of each session. At the end of the session, a 15-min hypnosis exercise is conducted. They receive CDs containing the hypnosis exercises and homework assignments.

BEHAVIORAL

CBT intervention

CBT intervention included 6 weekly 90-min sessions in groups of 3 to 8 participants led by CBT-trained psychologists with experience in psycho-oncology. This program was developed by team leaders and is modelled on the work of Andersen et al. (2008) and Savard (2010). The intervention targets were: 1) breast cancer, meaning of illness, understanding stress and responses to it; 2) impact of treatment on body image; 3) impact of treatment on self-esteem; 4) fear of recurrence; 5) relationships with relatives and health professionals; and 6) life projects, return to daily activities and work. Relaxation training took place at the end of each session and participants performed tasks between sessions.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Liege

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Guy Jerusalem, Prof. · University of Liege

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

75 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2013-01-31

Primary Completion

2016-03-31

Completion

2016-06-30

Countries

• Belgium

Study Locations