Improving sleep outcomes in patients with cancer with chronic insomnia using cognitive behavioral therapy: A retrospective study.

Abstract

e13555 Background: Cancer patients experience a threefold higher rate of insomnia (23-54%) than the general population. Cognitive behavioral therapy for Insomnia (CBT- i) is the gold standard treatment of chronic insomnia. Few studies, however, have demonstrated CBT- i efficacy for chronic insomnia in cancer patients. To address the needs of cancer patients with insomnia, a psycho-oncology physician trained to provide CBT- i therapy established an insomnia clinic in an ambulatory oncology center tailored for oncology patients. The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of CBT- i for chronic insomnia among cancer patients. Methods: A retrospective review of electronic medical records was performed on consecutive referrals to an insomnia clinic in an ambulatory oncology center. All patients with ICD-10 confirmed chronic insomnia diagnosis who received at least 2 sessions up to a maximum of 7 sessions of CBT- i were included in the analysis. Demographic variables, cancer-related disease and treatment variables, and sleep parameters at initial session (T1) and last session (T2) were collected. Sleep parameters included sleep efficiency, total sleep time, sleep onset latency, number of nightly awakenings, and sleep quality. Semi-structured psychiatric clinical interviews, past medical and sleep history, and patient-rated Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores at T1 were collected. Data analysis utilized SPSS descriptive statistics and T-test to compare differences between the baseline (T1) and post-CBT- i treatment (T2) sleep variable outcome measures. Results: The sample included 18 cancer patients (mean age 59 years; 12 Hispanics, 6 non-Hispanics; 16 females, 2 males) with ICD-10-confirmed chronic insomnia treated with CBT- i. Cancer-related variables among the sample included a mean duration of 18 months since cancer diagnosis, disease staging ranging from 0-IV, and 16 patients completed curative treatment. The sample included 13 breast cancer patients. Mean duration of insomnia was 6 years. PSQI score was 14 (PSQI score ranges from 0 to 21, scores above 5 are indicative of poor sleep quality). The mean number of sessions delivered was 5. Sleep parameters at T2 showed a significant improvement compared to those at T1 (Table). The number of nightly awakenings decreased from 3 at T1 to 2 at T2 (p=0.01), and 78% (14/18) of patients reported an improvement in their sleep quality at T2. Conclusions: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia demonstrates efficacy in the treatment of chronic insomnia in cancer patients and is easily administered within an ambulatory oncology center. [Table: see text]