The aim of this interventional study is to test the heart-rate variability biofeedback intervention (HRV BI) in patients with muscle-infiltrating bladder carcinoma (MIBC) treated with chemotherapy based on cisplatin in neoadjuvant setting followed by local therapy (standard of care, SOC) compared to SOC alone.
This is a prospective, interventional, clinical study with a target of 50 subjects and an anticipated total duration of 36 months. The goal of this study is to test the HRV BI in patients with MIBC treated with total of 3 to 4 courses of chemotherapy Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 + Cisplatin 70 mg/m2 day 1 (GC, new course day 22) or Methotrexate 30 mg/m2 day 1, Doxorubicin 30 mg/m2 day 2, Vinblastine 3 mg/m2 day 2, Cisplatin 70 mg/m2 day 2 with Pegfilgrastim 6 mg s.c. day 4 (ddMVAC, new course day 15) in neoadjuvant setting followed by radical cystectomy or irradiation concomitantly with cisplatin 70 mg/m2 weekly (SOC) and compare to SOC. Participants will undergo 4 sessions of HRV BI with the trainer where they will learn about the prognostic role of the vagal nerve in cancer and in reducing distress and pain, and how to perform deep paced breathing with the HRV monitoring. They will perform the training daily (3-times, minimum 7 minutes each) at home with the online control for 3 months. Researchers will compare the effect of addition of 3-months training of HRV BI to SOC on inflammation, HRV, quality of life (QoL), cognitive functions, salivary cortisol slopes, sleep quality and treatment outcomes.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
50
Daily deep paced breathing 3-times (minimum 7 minutes each) for 3 months
National Cancer Institute
Bratislava, Slovakia
RECRUITINGPrimary Objective: Inflammation
The effect of 3-month heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and conventional cancer treatment (standard of care, SOC) vs. SOC alone on inflammation (IL-6, Tumor necrosis factor α, IL-10 in pg/ml).
Time frame: 36 months
Primary Objective: Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
The effect of 3-month heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and conventional cancer treatment (standard of care, SOC) vs. SOC alone on HRV indexed by the root mean square of successive differences between heartbeats (RMSSD) in ms.
Time frame: 36 months
Primary Objective: Quality of Life (QoL)
The effect of 3-month heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and conventional cancer treatment (standard of care, SOC) vs. SOC alone on EORTC-QLQ-C30 (version 3) score. The EORTC-QLQ-C30 has 30 items divided into five functional scales (physical, role, cognitive, emotional, and social), and three symptom scales (fatigue, pain, and nausea and vomiting). The score for each scale as well as the sum score for the whole instrument is standardized to values 0 to 100, with a higher score meaning a worse outcome.
Time frame: 36 months
Primary Objective: Working memory
The effect of 3-month heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and conventional cancer treatment (standard of care, SOC) vs. SOC alone on working memory measured by digit span test score (the number of remembered digits in the longest passed sequence), for both forward and backward condition.
Time frame: 36 months
Primary objective: Executive function
The effect of 3-month heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and conventional cancer treatment (standard of care, SOC) vs. SOC alone on executive function measured by Stroop task mean response time for color-word condition.
Time frame: 36 months
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Primary objective: Salivary Cortisol Slopes
The effect of 3-month heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and conventional cancer treatment (standard of care, SOC) vs. SOC alone on salivary cortisol slopes (difference between bedtime and awakening saliva cortisol concentration in ng/ml).
Time frame: 36 months
Primary objective: Sleep Quality
The effect of 3-month heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and conventional cancer treatment (standard of care, SOC) vs. SOC alone on sleep quality measured by both actigraphy and self-report data. The main variables are total time spent sleeping (in hours and minutes), and sleep efficiency (proportion of time spent sleeping vs. time spent in bed trying to sleep).
Time frame: 36 months
Secondary objective: Serious Adverse Events
The effect of 3-months heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and conventional cancer treatment (standard of care, SOC) vs. SOC alone on serious adverse events (SAEs) of chemotherapy.
Time frame: 36 months
Secondary objective: Disease-Free Survival (DFS)
The effect of 3-months heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and conventional cancer treatment (standard of care, SOC) vs. SOC alone on disease-free survival (DFS).
Time frame: 60 months
Secondary objective: Overall Survival (OS)
The effect of 3-months heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and conventional cancer treatment (standard of care, SOC) vs. SOC alone on overall survival (OS).
Time frame: 60 months