Gynecologic Cancer, Gynecologic Neoplasm, Palliative Care, Quality of Life, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch
Conditions
Keywords
Therapeutic touch, Reiki, Laying-on-of-Hands, Spiritual Therapies
Brief summary
This is a randomized controlled prospective study on the use of therapeutic touch in patients diagnosed with gynecological cancer. The patients will be randomized into three groups: control group (will not receive any interventions with therapeutic touch), placebo group (will receive simulated therapeutic touch intervention by individual not knowing this technique) and treatment group(will receive therapeutic touch intervention by a trained therapeutic touch therapist). Two different quality of life questionnaires will be applied (before and after treatment). Levels of cortisol, salivary IgA, hematological indices and telomerase activity before and after the use of therapeutic touch will be compared between groups.
Detailed description
This project is a randomized controlled prospective study on the use of therapeutic touch in patients diagnosed with gynecological cancer. The patients will be randomized into three groups: control group (will not receive any interventions with therapeutic touch), placebo group (will receive simulated therapeutic touch intervention by individual not knowing the practice) and treatment group (will receive therapeutic touch intervention by a trained therapeutic touch therapist). Two different quality of life questionnaires (World Health Organization quality of life questionnaire - WHOQOL-Bref and the quality of life Core-30 questionnaire - EORTC QLQ-C30) from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer will be applied before and after treatment. Levels of cortisol, salivary IgA, hematological indices and telomerase activity before and after the use of therapeutic touch will be compared between groups.
Interventions
OTHERQuestionnaires
Two different quality of life questionnaires (WHOQOL-Bref and EORTC QLQ-C30) will be applied before and after treatment. No true or placebo therapeutic touch intervention will be performed.
OTHERPlacebo therapeutic touch
Placebo therapeutic touch will be done by graduate students without any specific training. The students are instructed to perform the placebo therapeutic touch with no objective intention of improving the patient's health.
OTHERTherapeutic touch
Therapeutic touch will be done by therapeutic touch trained professionals graduate students without any specific training with the intention of improving the patient's health.
Sponsors
Federal University of Minas Gerais
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Patients will be randomized into tree different groups: control, placebo, treatment.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* female patients * age over 18 years * diagnosis of neoplasms of the female genitalia * Signature of the consent form
Exclusion criteria
* history of previous contact with the therapeutic touch technique * use of psychotropic drugs, severe neurological or psychiatric disorders that make it impossible to participate in the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Quality of life | up to 16 weeks of follow-up | Quality of life questionnaire WHOQOL-Bref |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Salivary cortisol | Between 10 to 16 weeks | Salivary cortisol will be measured after the use of therapeutic touch |
| Quality of life 2 | up to 16 weeks of follow-up | Quality of life questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30 |
| Telomerase activity | up to 16 weeks of follow-up | Telomerase activity will be measured after the use of therapeutic touch |
Countries
Brazil
Contacts
Primary ContactRubens Tavares, MD, PhD
Backup ContactGelza Nunes, MSc
Outcome results
None listed