University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications
Title
A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction for women with early-stage breast cancer receiving radiotherapy
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Publication Date
2013-9
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Aged; Breast Neoplasms; Combined Modality Therapy; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Mindfulness; Neoplasm Staging; Nutrition Therapy; Patient Education as Topic; Radiotherapy; Stress, Psychological; Young Adult
Disciplines
Alternative and Complementary Medicine | Neoplasms | Therapeutics | Women's Health
Abstract
PURPOSE: To testthe relative effectiveness of a mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR) compared with a nutrition education intervention (NEP) and usual care (UC) in women with newly diagnosed early-stage breast cancer (BrCA)undergoing radiotherapy.
METHODS: Datawere available from a randomized controlled trialof 172 women, 20 to 65 years old, with stage I or II BrCA. Data from women completing the 8-week MBSR program plus 3 additional sessions focuses on special needs associated with BrCA were compared to women receiving attention control NEP and UC. Follow-up was performed at 3 post-intervention points: 4 months, and 1 and 2 years. Standardized, validated self-administered questionnaires were used to assess psychosocial variables. Descriptive analyses compared women by randomization assignment. Regression analyses, incorporating both intention-to-treat and post hoc multivariable approaches, were used to control for potential confounding variables.
RESULTS: A subset of 120 women underwent radiotherapy; 77 completed treatment prior to the study, and 40 had radiotherapy during the MBSR intervention. Women who actively received radiotherapy (art) while participating in the MBSR intervention (MBSR-art) experienced a significant (P < .05) improvement in 16 psychosocial variables compared with the NEP-art, UC-art, or both at 4 months. These included health-related, BrCA-specific quality of life and psychosocial coping, which were the primary outcomes, and secondary measures, including meaningfulness, helplessness, cognitive avoidance, depression, paranoid ideation, hostility, anxiety, global severity, anxious preoccupation, and emotional control.
CONCLUSIONS: MBSR appears to facilitate psychosocial adjustment in BrCA patients receiving radiotherapy, suggesting applicability for MBSR as adjunctive therapy in oncological practice.
DOI of Published Version
10.1177/1534735412473640
Source
Integr Cancer Ther. 2013 Sep;12(5):404-13. doi: 10.1177/1534735412473640. Epub 2013 Jan 28. Link to article on publisher's site
Related Resources
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Integrative cancer therapies
PubMed ID
23362338
Repository Citation
Henderson, Virginia P.; Massion, Ann O.; Clemow, Lynn; Hurley, Thomas G.; Druker, Susan; and Hebert, James R., "A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction for women with early-stage breast cancer receiving radiotherapy" (2013). University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications. 573.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/faculty_pubs/573