title: Individual cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled crossover pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Estimates of insomnia in breast cancer patients are high, with reports of poor sleep lasting years after completion of cancer treatment. This randomized controlled crossover pilot study looked at the effects of individual cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (IND-CBT-I) on sleep in breast cancer survivors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one participants were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (six weekly IND-CBT-I sessions followed by six weeks of follow up) or a delayed treatment control group (no treatment for six weeks followed by six weekly IND-CBT-I sessions). Of these, 14 participants completed the pilot study (six in the treatment group and eight in the delayed treatment control group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-rated insomnia was significantly improved in the treatment group compared to the waiting period in the delayed treatment control group. The pooled pre-post-IND-CBT-I analyses revealed improvements in self-rated insomnia, sleep quality, and objective measures of sleep.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary results suggest that IND-CBT-I is appropriate for improving sleep in breast cancer survivors. Individual therapy in a clinic or private practice may be a more practical option for this population as it is more easily accessed and readily available in an outpatient setting.
authors.affiliation: Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Lavinia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fiorentino
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: McQuaid
authors.forename: Lianqi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Loki
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Natarajan
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cornejo
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lawton
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Georgia R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Sadler
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ancoli-Israel
keywords: breast cancer; cognitive behavioral therapy; insomnia