Breast Cancer
Conditions
Keywords
cancer survivor, immune function
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to determine if participating in a Mindful Movement Program (MMP) (learning how to be mindful in one's movement), positively affects the body's immune functions improves mindfulness and reduces worries about cancer returning. All participants will be in this study about three months.
Detailed description
Breast cancer survivors (BCS) may experience psychological and physical effects long after treatment is over. Some research shows that practicing mindfulness, and movement types of activities such as qi gong or yoga may lead to improvements in emotional and physical well-being, including improved immune function. Immune function can be negatively affected by stress and worry, and this has an unknown effect on the risk of cancer recurrence. Psychological and physical interventions that help enhance an individual's wellbeing and reduce stress and worry may have a positive influence on immune function and in turn, reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. While there is limited research in this area, and none with dance therapy, little attention has been given to older BCS. However, understanding of immune function suggests that older women may be the best group to target for such interventions. Previous research with BCS age 50 or older who participated in a 12-week program combining mindfulness practice with dance/movement therapy (Mindful Movement Program) demonstrated positive effects: participants were more mindful in their day-to-day living and had less worry about the cancer coming back. Participants also reported through focus groups that the Mindful Movement Program (MMP) had improved their overall well-being. No laboratory tests of the body's immune response to MMP were included.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMindful Movement Program
Mindfulness is turning one's awareness to the present moment. Movement-dance therapy is the expression of thoughts or feelings through body movement, under the supervision of a licensed professional.
Sponsors
Saint John's Cancer Institute
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
50 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* diagnosed at age 50 or older with stage 0-III disease * 6 months or more since completion of primary breast cancer treatment * have a medical release from their physician * English-speaking * not pregnant * no weekly practice of yoga, qi gong, tai chi, dance/movement therapy, or mindfulness meditation practice
Exclusion criteria
* Males with breast cancer
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Immune markers | 18 weeks | Improvement in serum markers of immune cell phenotype at week 18 |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mindful Movement Intervention Experience | 18 weeks | Improvement in mindfulness attitude as measured on Meditative Movement Inventory (MMI) |
| Mindful Movement Intervention Experience - Mindfulness Intention | 18 weeks | Improvement in mindfulness attitude as measured on Mindfulness Intention (modified from Segal, 1-item) |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fear of Recurrence | 18 weeks | Fear of recurrence as measured on Fear of Recurrence (FOR) scale |
| Mindfulness attention | 18 weeks | Improvement in mindfulness attitude as measured with the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) |
| Mindfulness attitude | 18 weeks | Improvement in mindfulness attitude as measured with the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ) |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed