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 “Although not all patients suffer to a high degree from these
distressing symptoms, research shows that due to treatment and
long-term effects often patients experience depression, anxiety,
sleep disturbances, fears of recurrence (FORs) and physical symptoms
of pain and fatigue,” said lead author Cecile A. Lengacher of the
University of South Florida College of Nursing in Tampa.
When breast cancer survivors transition off of treatment and
experience physical symptoms, they may worry that it’s a sign of
cancer recurrence and be at a higher risk for anxiety and
depression, Lengacher told Reuters Health by email.
The researchers tested the effects of a Mindfulness Based Stress
Reduction (MBSR) program and examined whether any particular types
of patient seemed to benefit most from the therapy.
MBSR is a program developed decades ago at the University of
Massachusetts to help seriously ill patients cope with pain, such as
from advanced cancer or AIDS. But in recent years that program has
been adapted and offered more widely to people seeking relief from
pain and stress of many kinds.
For the new study, researchers compared 155 breast cancer survivors
who completed a six-week MBSR program with 167 survivors who
received usual care. Symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress,
fear of cancer recurrence, fatigue, pain and quality of life were
all measured before the study began, after the six-week program
ended and another six weeks later.
Women in the mindfulness program attended two-hour sessions
conducted by a clinical psychologist once weekly and received
training manuals and CDs. They practiced four meditation techniques,
including sitting, walking, body scan and Hatha yoga and learned how
to apply them in daily life.
The researchers kept track of how many sessions each participant
attended and how much of the assigned 15 to 45 minutes of at-home
practice per day each completed, based on their diaries.
For the MBSR group, the largest mindfulness-related improvements
happened during the first six weeks and most were maintained at 12
weeks. They experienced a greater reduction in anxiety, fear of
recurrence and fatigue compared to those in the control group,
although the improvements were small to moderate.
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There was no meaningful difference for depression scores or pain
levels, according to the results in the Journal of Clinical
Oncology.
Mindfulness practice helps patients learn how to self-regulate their
emotions by acceptance and non-reacting to internal and external
cues and experiences, reducing reactions to emotional and physical
triggers, and learning to be in the present, which diminishes the
distress of worrying about the past or future, Lengacher said.
“Also, this trial showed that those patients with the most stress
had the highest benefit from this trial, indicating the importance
of screening patients for distress,” Lengacher said.
Survivors of other types of cancer also suffer from varying symptoms
depending on type and stage of cancer, she said.
MBSR classes, which tend to cost around $200, are widely available
at hospitals and privately, as well as through online programs such
as the one offered by the University of Massachusetts medical school
(here: http://bit.ly/1vjU4kG).
A trained teacher delivers the mindfulness program so it would be
hard for women to try it on their own, Lengacher noted.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1Y4Ubjt Journal of Clinical Oncology, online
May 31, 2016.
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