Cancer related fatigue (CRF) - a persistent sense of exhaustion related to cancer or cancer treatment - can severely interfere with activities of daily living, and has even been reported to be a factor in patient requests for hastened death. CRF can represent a serious clinical problem years after all treatment has ended. There is currently no effective treatment for CRF. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether systematic exposure to light (from a commercially available Litebook) reduces CRF or other symptoms.
Cancer related fatigue (CRF) - a persistent sense of exhaustion related to cancer or cancer treatment - can severely interfere with activities of daily living, and has even been reported to be a factor in patient requests for hastened death. CRF can represent a serious clinical problem years after all treatment has ended. In our research with cancer survivors 1 to 3 years after completion of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), 40% of those we interviewed reported that CRF was a major obstacle to the resumption of usual activities. Despite its impact on quality of life, CRF is under-reported, under-diagnosed, and under-treated. A variety of pharmacologic agents have been studied to treat CRF, but there is insufficient evidence to recommend their use. The most promising non-pharmacologic interventions -- exercise and cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) -- have shown equally modest effects. The proposed study focuses on a promising new intervention for CRF, using systematic light exposure (SLE), consisting of a daily 30-minute exposure to as much as 10,000 lux of light from a commercially available light box. Study collaborator, Ancoli-Israel and her colleagues have successfully piloted this line of research with breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The goal of this study will be to assess the effect of SLE on long-term HSCT and breast cancer survivors, and to determine the feasibility and acceptability of SLE as an intervention for CRF. The approach will be informed by the procedures that Ancoli-Israel and her colleagues developed for their research on SLE treatment for breast cancer chemotherapy, as well as by Redd's studies of CBT to treat adjustment disorders in survivors of HSCT. The study arms will test the efficacy of two different types of light treatment, bright white light and dim red light. Outcomes will be assessed through standardized measures of CRF, sleep quality, and quality of life.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
54
Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack, New Jersey, United States
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, New York, United States
FACIT-Fatigue Scale
A list of statements that patients with cancer have said about their fatigue will be read. Subjects will mark on a 5-point scale how often they have felt each statement over the last 7 days. Measured at baseline, second week of light box use, fourth (last) week of light box use, three weeks post completion of light box use
Time frame: Baseline
FACIT-Fatigue Scale
A list of statements that patients with cancer have said about their fatigue will be read. Subjects will mark on a 5-point scale how often they have felt each statement over the last 7 days.
Time frame: at 4 weeks
FACIT-Fatigue Scale
A list of statements that patients with cancer have said about their fatigue will be read. Subjects will mark on a 5-point scale how often they have felt each statement over the last 7 days.
Time frame: at 3 months follow up
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
The validity of the instrument is based on its ability to discriminate patients (those having either sleep problems and/or depressive symptoms) from controls (healthy participants without sleep complaints). Baseline, second week of light box use, fourth (last) week of light box use, three weeks post completion of light box use
Time frame: Baseline
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
The validity of the instrument is based on its ability to discriminate patients (those having either sleep problems and/or depressive symptoms) from controls (healthy participants without sleep complaints).
Time frame: at 4 weeks
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
The validity of the instrument is based on its ability to discriminate patients (those having either sleep problems and/or depressive symptoms) from controls (healthy participants without sleep complaints.
Time frame: at 3 months follow up
SF-36 Scale
Quality of life will be assessed using the SF-36 scale. The SF-36 is a multi-purpose, short form health survey consisting of 36 questions.
Time frame: Baseline
SF-36 Scale
Quality of life will be assessed using the SF-36 scale. The SF-36 is a multi-purpose, short form health survey consisting of 36 questions.
Time frame: at 4 weeks
SF-36 Scale
Quality of life will be assessed using the SF-36 scale. The SF-36 is a multi-purpose, short form health survey consisting of 36 questions.
Time frame: at 3 months follow up
CNS-Vital Signs
Objective cognitive function will be assessed using CNS-Vital Signs, a reliable and valid computer-administered cognitive assessment battery that consists of 7 cognitive tests.
Time frame: Baseline
CNS-Vital Signs
Objective cognitive function will be assessed using CNS-Vital Signs, a reliable and valid computer-administered cognitive assessment battery that consists of 7 cognitive tests.
Time frame: at 4 weeks
CNS-Vital Signs
Objective cognitive function will be assessed using CNS-Vital Signs, a reliable and valid computer-administered cognitive assessment battery that consists of 7 cognitive tests.
Time frame: at 3 months follow up
The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire
A 25-item self-report measure of cognitive difficulties in everyday life using a 5-point Likert scale.
Time frame: Baseline
The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire
A 25-item self-report measure of cognitive difficulties in everyday life using a 5-point Likert scale.
Time frame: at 4 weeks
The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire
A 25-item self-report measure of cognitive difficulties in everyday life using a 5-point Likert scale.
Time frame: at 3 months follow up
Brief Symptom Inventory-18
Used to assess psychological distress. A list of health problems and complaints that people sometimes experience are listed.
Time frame: Baseline
Brief Symptom Inventory-18
Used to assess psychological distress. A list of health problems and complaints that people sometimes experience are listed.
Time frame: at 4 weeks
Brief Symptom Inventory-18
Used to assess psychological distress. A list of health problems and complaints that people sometimes experience are listed.
Time frame: at 3 months follow up
Actiwatch Spectrum
Sleep/wake activity is measured using an actigraph which records physical movement and detects light. The Actiwatch is worn for 72 consecutive hours.
Time frame: Baseline
Actiwatch Spectrum
Sleep/wake activity is measured using an actigraph which records physical movement and detects light. The Actiwatch is worn for 72 consecutive hours.
Time frame: at 4 weeks
Actiwatch Spectrum
Sleep/wake activity is measured using an actigraph which records physical movement and detects light. The Actiwatch is worn for 72 consecutive hours.
Time frame: at 3 months follow up
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