Clinical trial NCT02619292: Mindful Movement for Breast Cancer Survivors
Official title: Mindful Movement for Breast Cancer Survivors
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Breast Cancer
Keywords: cancer survivor
immune function
Lead sponsor: Saint John's Cancer Institute
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2015-12-02
Enrollment: 24
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 50
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

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.

Eligibility criteria: 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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Immune markers
timeFrame: 18 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Mindful Movement Intervention Experience
timeFrame: 18 weeks
measure: Mindful Movement Intervention Experience
timeFrame: 18 weeks
measure: Mindful Movement Intervention Experience - Mindfulness Intention
timeFrame: 18 weeks
Other outcomes:
measure: Fear of Recurrence
timeFrame: 18 weeks
measure: Mindfulness attention
timeFrame: 18 weeks
measure: Mindfulness attitude
timeFrame: 18 weeks
Locations:
city: Santa Monica
country: United States
facility: Margie Petersen Breast Center at Providence Saint John's Health Center
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: Saint John's Cancer Institute
name: Rebecca Crane-Okada, PhD, RN
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: