Educational Program in Younger Women Who Have Recently Finished Treatment for Stage I or Stage II Breast Cancer
Condition: Breast Neoplasms
MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      RATIONALE: Educational programs may improve coping and quality of life in younger women who
      have recently been treated for early-stage breast cancer.

      PURPOSE: To conduct a clinical trial to determine if an educational intervention and a
      nutritional intervention could enhance physical and psychological functioning among younger
      women completing treatment for early-stage breast cancer.
    

Detailed description: 
      OBJECTIVES:

        -  Design, implement, and evaluate an educational intervention and a nutrition education
           intervention specifically aimed at improving adjustment among younger women who have
           been newly diagnosed with and treated for stage I or II breast cancer and who are ending
           the active phase of treatment.

        -  Determine the processes through which the interventions affect quality of life.

        -  Assess whether the interventions are differentially effective for different groups of
           women.

        -  Determine how women who decline participation differ from those who participate.

        -  Determine the nature and extent of adjustment difficulties, using baseline data, in
           younger women living in an urban setting who have been treated for early stage breast
           cancer.

        -  Identify personality and situational correlates of individuals who adapt well to
           early-stage breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and those who do not.

      OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 intervention groups or
      a control condition.

        -  Arm I (control group): Patients did not undergo any intervention. Patients were
           evaluated at baseline and at 4 and 13 months.

        -  Arm II (breast cancer education group): Patients attended a series of approximately
           2-hour-long breast cancer education group sessions once a month for 4 months. Sessions
           involved the presentation of information concerning breast cancer, followed by a guided
           discussion of related topics. Sessions topics included: talking with children about
           cancer, life after diagnosis, relationships/intimacy, and hormones and breast
           cancer/basic factors of heredity. Patients were also given booklets and brochures to
           read at home. Patients were evaluated at baseline, immediately after the intervention,
           and at 9 months after the intervention.

        -  Arm III (nutritional education group): Patients attended a series of approximately
           2-hour-long nutritional education group sessions once a month for 4 months. Sessions
           involved the presentation of information concerning nutrition, followed by a guided
           discussion of related topics. Session topics included: healthy cupboards, what's
           cooking, shopping for success, and out on the town. Patients were also asked to keep a 4
           day record of diet. Patients were evaluated at baseline, immediately after the
           intervention, and at 9 months after the intervention.
    

Intervention name(s): Education Intervention; Nutrition Education Intervention
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Sessions were led by two professionals with expertise in the topic. The sessions began a with presentation of informational material followed by guided discussion of related topics. The first session discussed what to say and not say to children about cancer and how to create a safe environment for them; the second session discussed carrying on with life after the diagnosis of breast cancer, including strategies for managing stress and anxiety and developing meaning in life; the third session talked about how to maintain closeness with a partner and ways to talk about breast cancer; the last session focused on the effects of treatment on reproductive status, and the genetic bases of breast cancer. Participants were also given related booklets and brochures to take home to read.; The nutrition sessions were presented by a professional trained in nutritional science. Sessions included the presentation of information and guided discussion of related topics. The first session discussed information on choosing fruits, vegetables, and low-fat foods and incorporating them into a diet; the second session involved a demonstration of low-fat cooking methods; the third session provided information on the nutritional make-up of a healthy diet and how to shop for it; the last session included information on how to maintain a healthy, low-fat diet while eating out. Women were also asked to keep a four-day food diary, to focus them on their dietary intake and control over it.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: psychosocial effects of cancer and its treatment; stage I breast cancer; stage II breast cancer