A Pilot Randomized Trial Assessing the Effect of a Psychoeducational Intervention on Psychoneuroimmunological Parameters Among Patients With Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to determine a potential benefit of the specific psychoeducational intervention “Learning to Live with Cancer” (LTLWC) for patients with operated nonmetastatic breast cancer, with respect to psychological variables and endocrine and immune parameters. Methods Fifty-two postmenopausal women with operated stage I to III breast cancer were randomized to either a breast cancer intervention group (BCIG, n = 30) who immediately began participating in the LTLWC intervention program or to a breast cancer control group (BCCG, n = 22). Matched healthy women were asked to participate as a noncancer comparison group (n = 26). All participants were evaluated at three different time points (t1–t3) using a set of standardized questionnaires and blood samples were taken to analyze immune cell subsets and stress hormone levels. Results A significant reduction in trait anxiety/State Trait Anxiety Inventory score was observed in the BCIG (t1: median = 35.0 [interquartile range = 28.0–38.0] versus t3: median = 26.0 [interquartile range = 18.5–37.0], p = .0001) compared with the BCCG (t1: median = 41.0 [interquartile range =32.75–49.0]; t3: median = 38.5 [interquartile range = 30.75–46.5], p = .01524; p interaction = .001). In parallel, a significant rise of serotonin levels (t1: median = 66.5 ng/ml [interquartile range = 11.50–106.00] versus t3: median = 80.5 ng/ml [interquartile range =59.00–118.00], p = .00008) as well as a signific...
Source: Psychosomatic Medicine - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLES Source Type: research