PURPOSE:This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Chan-Chuang qigong exercise in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients who were undergoing chemotherapy on fatigue intensity and sleep quality.

METHODS:The study was a single-centre, controlled randomized study. One hundred and eight subjects were randomly assigned to the qigong group (n = 54) or control group (n = 54). The qigong group received Chan-Chuang qigong exercise 20-min twice daily for 21 days in the course of the chemotherapy treatment, whereas the control group without special exercise intervention. Outcome measures included fatigue and sleep quality.

RESULTS:After the three-week intervention, participants who were in the qigong group had lower fatigue intensity scores than those in the control group. The results of generalized estimating equations (GEE) analyses showed a significant group-by-time interaction effect in average fatigue, worse fatigue, and overall sleep quality (p < 0.001). The average fatigue, worse fatigue, and overall sleep quality significantly decreased over time in the qigong group.

CONCLUSIONS:Chan-Chuang qigong exercise could be regarded as an adjunct measure in clinical practice. This study cannot completely discount the possible influence of placebo effects, and more objective clinical outcome measures are needed to produce our findings with long-term follow-up in a randomized controlled study.

This randomized controlled clinical study aimed to determine the effect of 2 foot massage methods on symptom control in people with colorectal cancer who received chemoradiotherapy. Data were collected between June 16, 2015, and February 10, 2016, in the Department of Radiation Oncology of an oncology training and research hospital. The sample comprised 60 participants. Data were collected using an introductory information form, common terminology criteria for adverse events and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaires C30 and CR29. Participants were randomly allocated to 3 groups: classical foot massage, reflexology, and standard care control. The classical massage group received foot massage using classical massage techniques, and the reflexology group received foot reflexology focusing on symptom-oriented reflexes twice a week during a 5-week chemoradiotherapy treatment schedule. The control group received neither classical massage nor reflexology. All patients were provided with the same clinic routine care. The classical massage was effective in reducing pain level and distension incidence while foot reflexology was effective in reducing pain and fatigue level, lowering incidence of distension and urinary frequency and improving life quality.

BACKGROUND:Although fatigue, sleep disturbance, depression, and anxiety are associated with pain in breast cancer patients, it is unknown whether acupuncture can decrease these comorbid symptoms in cancer patients with pain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on fatigue, sleep, and psychological distress in breast cancer survivors who experience joint pain related to aromatase inhibitors (AIs).

METHODS:The authors performed a randomized controlled trial of an 8-week course of EA compared with a waitlist control (WLC) group and a sham acupuncture (SA) group in postmenopausal women with breast cancer who self-reported joint pain attributable to AIs. Fatigue, sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression were measured using the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The effects of EA and SA versus WLC on these outcomes were evaluated using mixed-effects models.

RESULTS:Of the 67 randomly assigned patients, baseline pain interference was associated with fatigue (Pearson correlation coefficient [r]=0.75; P<.001), sleep disturbance (r=0.38; P=.0026), and depression (r=0.58; P<.001). Compared with the WLC condition, EA produced significant improvements in fatigue (P=.0095), anxiety (P=.044), and depression (P=.015) and a nonsignificant improvement in sleep disturbance (P=.058) during the 12-week intervention and follow-up period. In contrast, SA did not produce significant reductions in fatigue or anxiety symptoms but did produce a significant improvement in depression compared with the WLC condition (P=.0088).

CONCLUSIONS:Compared with usual care, EA produced significant improvements in fatigue, anxiety, and depression; whereas SA improved only depression in women experiencing AI-related arthralgia.

BACKGROUND:Radiotherapy may lead to side effects that undermine patients' quality of life (QOL). Although mind-body practices like qigong appear to improve QOL in cancer survivors, little is known about their benefits for patients who are receiving radiotherapy. Thus, in the current randomized controlled trial, the authors examined the efficacy of a qigong intervention on QOL in women with breast cancer during and after treatment.

METHODS:Ninety-six women with breast cancer were recruited from a cancer center in Shanghai, China, and were randomized to a qigong group (N = 49) or a waitlist control group (N = 47). Women in the qigong group attended 5 weekly classes over 5 or 6 weeks of radiotherapy. QOL outcomes (ie, depressive symptoms, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and overall QOL) and cortisol slopes were assessed at baseline, during treatment, at the end of treatment, 1 month later, and 3 months later.

RESULTS:The mean age of the women was 46 years (range, 25-64 years). Seven percent of women had stage 0 disease, 25% had stage I disease, 40% had stage II disease, and 28% had stage III disease. Fifty-four percent of women underwent mastectomy. Multilevel analyses revealed that women in the qigong group reported less depressive symptoms over time than women in the control group (P = .05). Women who had elevated depressive symptoms at the start of radiotherapy reported less fatigue (P<.01) and better overall QOL (P<.05) in the qigong group compared with the control group, and these findings were clinically significant. No significant differences were observed for sleep disturbance or cortisol slopes.

CONCLUSIONS:The current results indicated that qigong may have therapeutic effects in the management of QOL among women who are receiving radiotherapy for breast cancer. Benefits were particularly evident for patients who had preintervention elevated levels of depressive symptoms.

BACKGROUND:Many breast cancer survivors experience fatigue, mood, and sleep disturbances.

PURPOSE:This study aims to compare a meditative movement practice, Qigong/Tai Chi Easy (QG/TCE) with sham Qigong (SQG), testing effects of meditation/breath aspects of QG/TCE on breast cancer survivors' persistent fatigue and other symptoms.

METHODS:This double-blind, randomized controlled trial tested 12 weeks of QG/TCE versus SQG on fatigue, depression, and sleep among 87 postmenopausal, fatigued breast cancer survivors, stages 0-III, age 40-75.

RESULTS:Fatigue decreased significantly in the QG/TCE group compared to control at post-intervention (p = 0.005) and 3 months follow-up (p = 0.024), but not depression and sleep quality. Improvement occurred over time for both interventions in depression and sleep quality (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:QG/TCE showed significant improvement over time compared to SQG for fatigue, but not depression or sleep. Both QG/TCE and SQG showed improvement for two prevalent symptoms among breast cancer survivors, depression and sleep dysfunction.

Fatigue is a common, often debilitating, side effect of cancer chemotherapy. Pharmacologic vitamin C has been used as an alternative treatment for the disease itself but its effects on fatigue have not often been documented. Here we report on the case of a woman with recurrent breast cancer, undergoing weekly chemotherapy, with lethargy as a major symptom. Vitamin C (50 g/session) was administered twice weekly and quality of life and multidimensional fatigue symptomology questionnaires were undertaken. Dramatic decreases in fatigue and insomnia were observed, as well as increased cognitive functioning. There were no adverse side effects of i.v. vitamin C.