title: The effect of autogenic training on salivary immunoglobulin A in surgical patients with breast cancer: a randomized pilot trial.
abstract: Psychological stress among breast cancer patients can inhibit immune function and contribute to disease progression. We investigated the effects of autogenic training (AT), a relaxation method for reducing stress, on salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in breast cancer surgery patients. Thirty patients scheduled to undergo breast cancer surgery were randomly assigned to an AT or control group (usual care). Patients in the AT group underwent training for 7 days after surgery. Salivary IgA and heart rate variability were assessed on the day before surgery, and on the third and seventh postoperative days. Levels of sIgA were significantly higher on the seventh postoperative day in the AT group (n = 7) compared to the control group (n = 7) (p = 0.049). These findings suggest that AT may improve immune function in breast surgery patients.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Saku University, 2384 Iwamurada, Saku, Nagano 385-0022, Japan. Electronic address: minowa@saku.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Chika
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Minowa
authors.affiliation: Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8514, Japan. Electronic address: kkoita@health.gunma-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kikuyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koitabashi
mesh_terms: D001326:Autogenic Training; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A
keywords: Autogenic training; Breast cancer; Immune function; Immunoglobulin A; Relaxation