A study exploring the practicality and effectiveness of relaxation therapy plus autohypnotherapy for patients with breast and lung cancer undergoing radiotherapy

A feasibility study of relaxation therapy plus autohypnotherapy for patients with thoracic or breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN89999034

Enrollment

Registered

2010-05-19

Start date

2008-07-18

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2019-07-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Lung cancer, oesophageal cancer or breast cancer Cancer Malignant neoplasm of the lung

Interventions

Patients will be randomised to radiotherapy treatment as usual or HYPREL. HYPREL will consist of a standard, protocolised intervention consisting of: 1. Training in pr

rehearsal in imaguo, and ego strengthening. The timing of sessions will be: Sessions 1 and 2: between days 8 and 14 (in the OHC) Session 3: day 15 (in

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Treatment to include at least 15 - 20 fractions of radical radiotherapy to the thorax or breast 2. Lung cancer, oesophageal cancer or breast cancer 3. Male or female 4. Age at least 18 years 5. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 - 1 6. Able to complete questionnaires 7. Able and willing to give written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Unable to lie supine for medical reasons 2. History of functional psychosis

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
During radiotherapy, the frequency and amplitude of chest wall movement will be measured during RT1, RT10, and RT15 (last fraction of treatment for breast cancer) or RT20 (last fraction of treatment for thoracic cancer) using the Varian RPM system. This is an established system with an integrated software package for data retrieval and processing. It involves no direct patient contact. An infra-red camera is used to track a pair of reflective markers that are mounted on the front face of a small box which is placed on the patient?s chest. Apart from the placement of this box, the use of this equipment has no impact on the standard treatment. The motion of these markers acts as a surrogate for that of the chest itself and is used to measure its amplitude and frequency. The regularity of the breathing cycle of each patient will be characterised by the mean and standard deviation established over 40 breathing cycles.	—

Measure

Time frame

During radiotherapy, the frequency and amplitude of chest wall movement will be measured during RT1, RT10, and RT15 (last fraction of treatment for breast cancer) or RT20 (last fraction of treatment for thoracic cancer) using the Varian RPM system. This is an established system with an integrated software package for data retrieval and processing. It involves no direct patient contact. An infra-red camera is used to track a pair of reflective markers that are mounted on the front face of a small box which is placed on the patient?s chest. Apart from the placement of this box, the use of this equipment has no impact on the standard treatment. The motion of these markers acts as a surrogate for that of the chest itself and is used to measure its amplitude and frequency. The regularity of the breathing cycle of each patient will be characterised by the mean and standard deviation established over 40 breathing cycles.

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Differences between groups in the frequency and amplitude of chest wall movement at other time points 2. Between-group differences in Mood Rating Scale (MRS), Brief State Anxiety Inventory (BSAI), Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) scores at all time points following randomisation	—

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026