Advanced Cancer
Conditions
Keywords
Cancer, Adolescent and Young Adult, Exercise, Physical Activity, Quality of Life, End-of-Life, Palliative, Terminal, Yoga, Alternative Therapies, Fitness, Fatigue
Brief summary
Adolescents and young adults who are living with cancer are not benefiting from the same age-appropriate physical and psychosocial care, as are children and older adults. As a result, their unique needs often go unmet or unaddressed. Studies have demonstrated that a lack of age-appropriate care may be responsible for a deceased quality of life. Studies have also shown that physical activity is able to reduce many of the negative side-effects linked to cancer and its treatment (e.g., nausea, vomiting, fatigue). A light form of physical activity that is both safe and manageable for cancer patients is yoga. The purpose of this study is to examine the achievability and safety of a light 7-week home/hospice-based Hatha yoga program (available on DVD) in the adolescent and young adult non-curative cancer population. This study will also examine the ability of yoga to reduce cancer related side effects.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALHatha Yoga
This is a 7-week home/hospice-based instructive Hatha yoga program (available on DVD) for adolescent and young adults diagnosed with a non-curative cancer. Participants will be asked to complete a minimum of one, 75-minute yoga session per week. The DVD package includes four discs that increase in difficulty over the course of the 7-week program. The DVD focuses on postures and breathing exercises. Participants will be asked to keep track of the number and duration of yoga sessions completed over the 7-week period.
Sponsors
Dalhousie University
IWK Health Centre
Nova Scotia Health Authority
Rob Rutledge
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
15 Years to 39 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Diagnosed with a non-curative cancer and assigned to non-curative or palliative care * Between 15-39 years of age * Have primary physician/oncologist consent to participate
Exclusion criteria
* Experience any medical conditions that contraindicate yoga (e.g., bone metastases) * Exhibit cognitive limitations (e.g., psychiatric disorders) * Score below 30% on Palliative Performance Status Scale
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility: Recruitment | Final: end of week 7 | Recruitment will be calculated by the number of patients who consent to participate, divided by the number of eligible participants recommended by the primary oncologist/physician. |
| Feasibility: Retention | Final: end of week 7 | Retention: Will be determined by reporting the number of participants who complete the baseline and post-program questionnaire and follow-up testing. |
| Feasibility: Adherence | Final: end of week 7 | Adherence: Participants will be asked to record the number of yoga sessions performed each week. Overall adherence will be calculated by summing the actual number of sessions the participant engaged in, divided by the recommended number of sessions. |
| Safety | Final: end of week 7 | Safety: Any adverse events reported by the participant will be recorded. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in Quality of Life | Baseline: week 1; Final: week 7 | Participants will be asked to complete the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Palliative Care subscale (FACIT-Pal) and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Spiritual Well-Being subscale (FACIT-Sp) at baseline and post-intervention. |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed