Inpact of a ten week mind-body medicine intervention on peristent fatigue following breast cancer treatment: 6 month follow- up

Abstract

9062 Background: Persistent fatigue following breast cancer treatment, which affects up to 40% of breast cancer patients, is the result of diverse patient and treatment factors. The multi-dimensional underlying etiology of fatigue calls for broad based interventions aimed at managing stress, improving diet and exercise patterns and short term cognitive therapy supporting attitudinal and behavioral changes. A pilot study was conducted to obtain preliminary efficacy information for a ten week group-based mind body intervention to treat persistent fatigue among breast cancer survivors. Methods: The quasi-experimental study design used a before/after evaluation of fatigue scores. Subjects were women who were between six months and five years post-completion of adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy for breast cancer and who had a baseline fatigue score of ≤ 50 as measured by the vitality subscale of the SF-36 Health Survey. Twenty- one women entered the study. Three participants dropped out after attending only two of the ten weekly sessions and are excluded from the analysis. Main outcome measures were change in severity of fatigue as measured by the Piper Fatigue Scale and vitality subscale score of the SF-36. Results: At baseline, the mean age of participants was 52.7 years; 66.7% were Caucasian and 23.7% were African-American. Median time since breast cancer diagnosis was 2.9 years. The mean Piper fatigue score improved from 6.0 (SD 1.5) at baseline to 4.0 (SD 2.1) at the end of the ten week intervention (p< 0.001). Fatigue scores at two and six months post-intervention were 3.2 (SD 2.9; p= 0.001) and 4.1 (SD 2.1; p= 0.02), respectively. Similarly the SF-36 vitality subscale score improved following the intervention with persistent improvement at 6 months (p=0.02). Conclusion: A holistic integrated mind body medicine intervention holds promise for long-term impact on reducing fatigue following breast cancer treatment. Sponsored by Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation No significant financial relationships to disclose.