Yoga Breathing for Fatigue in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

University of California, San Francisco25 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility and efficacy of yoga breathing techniques to manage fatigue and other cancer-related side effects, in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Fatigue is the most common complaint among cancer patients. This pilot study will evaluate the effects of pranayama (ancient yoga breathing techniques) on fatigue and quality of life among 30 patients undergoing chemotherapy, on an every 2, 3, or 4 week schedule, with a fatigue score of at least 4 on a scale of 0 (none) to 10 (most). Patients will be randomized to either pranayama or wait-list control. The pranayama group will learn and practice 3 breathing techniques on a daily basis. The study period will occur during 2 consecutive cycles of chemotherapy (cycle A and Cycle B), and the wait-list control patients will crossover to the treatment arm at the beginning of his/her Cycle B. Fatigue will be measured using the revised Piper Fatigue Scale along with quality of life measures. These study measures will be conducted at baseline, at the end of cycle A, and at the end of cycle B. We hypothesize that pranayama will improve clinical symptoms of fatigue and quality of life among patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Breast Cancer

Interventions

Pranayama (Yoga Breathing) TechniquesBEHAVIORAL

1-hour long yoga breathing classes, taught once per week for 2-8 consecutive weeks. Dose (Number of classes) administered is dependent on randomization arm and individuals' chemotherapy cycle length.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * A diagnosis of cancer that requires at least 2 further cycles of chemotherapy on an every 14, 21, or 28 day schedule * A score of at least 4/10 on a 0-10 (0-none, 10-most) visual analog scale for fatigue at the time of enrollment * Able to read, write and understand English * Karnofsky Performance Status greater than 60 * Ability to give informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Severe COPD * Receiving chronic oxygen therapy * Congestive heart failure: NYHA class 3 or greater * Transfusion dependent anemia * Uncontrolled thyroid disease * Advance kidney disease requiring dialysis * Advance liver disease * More than three previous chemotherapy regimens * Current, ongoing yoga breathing practice

Locations (1)

Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, UCSF

San Francisco, California, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Feasibility

Feasibility will be evaluated based on recruitment, retention, completion of study classes and home practice, and completion of study measures

Time frame: Baseline and second cycle of chemotherapy

Secondary Outcomes

Cancer associated symptoms and quality of life

fatigue, sleep, stress, anxiety and depression quality of life

Time frame: baseline and final cycle of chemotherapy

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.