Imagery intervention for recovering breast cancer patients: clinical trial of safety and efficacy.
In a phase I National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded clinical trial, 34 breast cancer survivors, six weeks to one year post-treatment, were recruited to participate in a 6-class, 8-week long imagery stress reduction program entitled "Envision the Rhythms of Life." Patients practiced imagery during and between sessions. Outcomes for quality of life and cortisol rhythm were assessed pre- to post-intervention, in two subsets of survivors (intravenous [IV] chemotherapy, or no IV chemotherapy). Thirty survivors completed the 8-week program. Quality of life outcomes demonstrated statistically and clinically significant outcomes for the functional assessment of cancer therapy-general (FACT-G) global index (p<.001), representing improvements in survivor quality of life related to physical, social/family, emotional, and function well-being. Survivors also improved significantly on the breast cancer (p<.001) and spiritual subscales (p = .008.) Brief symptom inventory (BSI) assessment reported significant improvement for the global index (p<.001) which included the categories of depression, somatization and anxiety. At eight weeks, cortisol rhythm, a biochemical indicator of stress and likelihood of cancer recurrence, produced a trend toward improvement for the fifth time point of the day (p = .18). Likert-based stress scales showed highly significant reductions in stress (p<.0001) with subjects practicing imagery the most producing the best scores. Outcomes suggest the imagery program may significantly improve survivor quality of life and reduce stress.
Mind Matters Research, Anchorage, AK 99507, USA. lfreeman@gci.net
Lyn
L
Freeman
Lorenzo
L
Cohen
Mary
M
Stewart
Rebecca
R
White
Judith
J
Link
J Lynn
JL
Palmer
Derek
D
Welton
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019018:Imagery, Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome