1 2604 136 YOGA FOR PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE AFFLICTS UP TO 33% OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, YET THERE ARE NO EMPIRICALLY VALIDATED TREATMENTS FOR THIS SYMPTOM. METHODS: THE AUTHORS CONDUCTED A 2-GROUP RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF AN IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT POST-TREATMENT FATIGUE. PARTICIPANTS WERE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO HAD COMPLETED CANCER TREATMENTS (OTHER THAN ENDOCRINE THERAPY) AT LEAST 6 MONTHS BEFORE ENROLLMENT, REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE, AND HAD NO OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD ACCOUNT FOR FATIGUE SYMPTOMS OR INTERFERE WITH YOGA PRACTICE. BLOCK RANDOMIZATION WAS USED TO ASSIGN PARTICIPANTS TO A 12-WEEK, IYENGAR-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION OR TO 12 WEEKS OF HEALTH EDUCATION (CONTROL). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS CHANGE IN FATIGUE MEASURED AT BASELINE, IMMEDIATELY POST-TREATMENT, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT COMPLETION. ADDITIONAL OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN VIGOR, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE. INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED WITH ALL RANDOMIZED PARTICIPANTS USING LINEAR MIXED MODELS. RESULTS: THIRTY-ONE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA (N = 16) OR HEALTH EDUCATION (N = 15). FATIGUE SEVERITY DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT AND OVER A 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P = .032). IN ADDITION, THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN VIGOR RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P = .011). BOTH GROUPS HAD POSITIVE CHANGES IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS (P < .05). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN SLEEP OR PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE WERE OBSERVED. CONCLUSIONS: A TARGETED YOGA INTERVENTION LED TO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FATIGUE AND VIGOR AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT FATIGUE SYMPTOMS. 2012 2 2442 53 YOGA AND SELF-REPORTED COGNITIVE PROBLEMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: CANCER SURVIVORS OFTEN REPORT COGNITIVE PROBLEMS. FURTHERMORE, DECREASES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TYPICALLY OCCUR OVER THE COURSE OF CANCER TREATMENT. ALTHOUGH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BENEFITS COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN NONCANCER POPULATIONS, EVIDENCE LINKING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN CANCER SURVIVORS IS LIMITED. IN OUR RECENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO RECEIVED A YOGA INTERVENTION HAD LOWER FATIGUE AND INFLAMMATION FOLLOWING THE TRIAL COMPARED WITH A WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP. THIS SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF THE PARENT TRIAL ADDRESSED YOGA'S IMPACT ON COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS. METHODS: POSTTREATMENT STAGE 0-IIIA BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (N = 200) WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 12-WEEK, TWICE-WEEKLY HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION OR A WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS USING THE BREAST CANCER PREVENTION TRIAL COGNITIVE PROBLEMS SCALE AT BASELINE, IMMEDIATELY POSTINTERVENTION, AND 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN GROUPS IMMEDIATELY POSTINTERVENTION (P = 0.250). HOWEVER, AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, YOGA PARTICIPANTS' BREAST CANCER PREVENTION TRIAL COGNITIVE PROBLEMS SCALE SCORES WERE AN AVERAGE OF 23% LOWER THAN WAIT LIST PARTICIPANTS' SCORES (P = 0.003). THESE GROUP DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS REMAINED AFTER CONTROLLING FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, FATIGUE, AND SLEEP QUALITY. CONSISTENT WITH THE PRIMARY RESULTS, THOSE WHO PRACTICED YOGA MORE FREQUENTLY REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER COGNITIVE PROBLEMS AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP THAN THOSE WHO PRACTICED LESS FREQUENTLY (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN EFFECTIVELY REDUCE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS' COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS AND PROMPT FURTHER RESEARCH ON MIND-BODY AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS FOR IMPROVING CANCER-RELATED COGNITIVE PROBLEMS. 2015 3 2605 49 YOGA FOR PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: RESULTS OF A PILOT STUDY. APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS EXPERIENCES PERSISTENT FATIGUE FOR MONTHS OR YEARS AFTER SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT COMPLETION. THERE IS A LACK OF EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS FOR CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE, PARTICULARLY AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS. THIS SINGLE-ARM PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR FATIGUED BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS BASED ON THE IYENGAR TRADITION. IYENGAR YOGA PRESCRIBES SPECIFIC POSES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIFIC MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND CONDITIONS; THIS TRIAL EMPHASIZED POSTURES BELIEVED TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING FATIGUE AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, INCLUDING INVERSIONS AND BACKBENDS PERFORMED WITH THE SUPPORT OF PROPS. TWELVE WOMEN WERE ENROLLED IN THE TRIAL, AND 11 COMPLETED THE FULL 12-WEEK COURSE OF TREATMENT. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FATIGUE SCORES FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION THAT WAS MAINTAINED AT THE 3-MONTH POST-INTERVENTION FOLLOWUP. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE ALSO OBSERVED IN MEASURES OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION, DEPRESSED MOOD, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE RESULTS SUPPORT THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THIS INTERVENTION AND SUGGEST THAT IT MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON PERSISTENT POST-TREATMENT FATIGUE. HOWEVER, RESULTS REQUIRE REPLICATION IN A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 2011 4 2553 36 YOGA FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFTER COMPLETING CANCER TREATMENT. SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER MAY EXPERIENCE PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, AND BALANCE IMPAIRMENT. YOGA IS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT IMPROVES FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. USING A ONE GROUP, REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, WE EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA PROGRAM AND ASSESSED IF CANCER SURVIVOR PARTICIPANTS AGES 10 TO 17 YEARS (N = 13) HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FATIGUE AND ANXIETY, AND BETTER BALANCE AND SLEEP, AFTER A 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH A 6-WEEK PRE-INTERVENTION WAIT PERIOD. STUDY RECRUITMENT WAS CHALLENGING WITH A 32% ENROLLMENT RATE; YOGA ATTENDANCE WAS 90%. NONE OF THE SCORES FOR ANXIETY, FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE HAD SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING THE WAIT PERIOD. AFTER THE 6-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, CHILDREN (N = 7) HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY SCORE (P = .04) WHILE ADOLESCENT SCORES (N = 7) SHOWED A DECREASING TREND (P = .10). SCORES FOR FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE REMAINED STABLE POST-INTERVENTION. FATIGUE AND BALANCE SCORES WERE BELOW NORMS FOR HEALTH CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS WHILE SLEEP AND ANXIETY SCORES WERE SIMILAR TO HEALTHY PEERS. 2016 5 1865 48 RANDOMIZED PILOT TRIAL OF YOGA VERSUS STRENGTHENING EXERCISES IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE. PURPOSE: FATIGUE IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON AND BOTHERSOME REFRACTORY SYMPTOMS EXPERIENCED BY CANCER SURVIVORS. MINDFUL EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS YOGA IMPROVE CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE; HOWEVER, STUDIES OF YOGA HAVE INCLUDED HETEROGENEOUS SURVIVORSHIP POPULATIONS, AND THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FATIGUED SURVIVORS REMAINS UNCLEAR. METHODS: WE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 34 EARLY-STAGE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE (>/=4 ON A LIKERT SCALE FROM 1-10) WITHIN 1 YEAR FROM DIAGNOSIS TO A 12-WEEK INTERVENTION OF HOME-BASED YOGA VERSUS STRENGTHENING EXERCISES, BOTH PRESENTED ON A DVD. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINTS WERE FEASIBILITY AND CHANGES IN FATIGUE, AS MEASURED BY THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL FATIGUE SYMPTOM INVENTORY-SHORT FORM (MFSI-SF). SECONDARY ENDPOINT WAS QUALITY OF LIFE, ASSESSED BY THE FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPIES-BREAST (FACT-B). RESULTS: WE INVITED 401 WOMEN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY; 78 RESPONDED, AND WE ENROLLED 34. BOTH GROUPS HAD SIGNIFICANT WITHIN-GROUP IMPROVEMENT IN MULTIPLE DOMAINS OF THE FATIGUE AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES FROM BASELINE TO POST-INTERVENTION, AND THESE BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 3 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS IN FATIGUE OR QUALITY OF LIFE AT ANY ASSESSMENT TIME. SIMILARLY, THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS IN ADHERENCE TO THE EXERCISE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH DVD-BASED YOGA AND STRENGTHENING EXERCISES DESIGNED FOR CANCER SURVIVORS MAY BE GOOD OPTIONS TO ADDRESS FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. BOTH HAVE REASONABLE UPTAKE, ARE CONVENIENT AND REPRODUCIBLE, AND MAY BE HELPFUL IN DECREASING FATIGUE AND IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE FIRST YEAR POST-DIAGNOSIS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE. 2016 6 428 40 CAN YOGA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER? A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, SINGLE-BLIND TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDED 42 PATIENTS. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 UNDERWENT A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 2 WERE INCLUDED IN A 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PROGRAM. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS ARM AND SHOULDER PAIN INTENSITY. RESULTS: THE GROUP RECEIVING YOGA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PAIN SEVERITY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT, AND THESE BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 2.5 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT. WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO THE PARAMETERS ASSESSED AT THE END OF WEEK 10. CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE EXERCISE FOR ALLEVIATING SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, WHICH IS A COMPLICATION WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2018 7 2096 53 THE EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISE ON IMPROVING DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND FATIGUE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND FATIGUE ARE AMONG THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS THAT INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WHO RECEIVE ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. ALTHOUGH EVIDENCE HAS SHOWN YOGA TO DECREASE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER, FEW STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA HAVE TARGETED PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. YOGA INTERVENTIONS SHOULD BE TESTED TO PROMOTE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM IN PROMOTING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY IN TERMS OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND FATIGUE. METHODS: A SAMPLE OF 60 WOMEN WITH NONMETASTATIC BREAST CANCER WAS RECRUITED. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO EITHER THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N = 30) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 30). A 60-MINUTE, TWICE-PER-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE WAS IMPLEMENTED FOR 8 WEEKS AS THE INTERVENTION FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD CARE ONLY. RESULTS: ANALYSIS USING THE JOHNSON-NEYMAN PROCEDURE FOUND THAT THE YOGA EXERCISE REDUCED OVERALL FATIGUE AND THE INTERFERENCE OF FATIGUE IN EVERYDAY LIFE FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PARTICIPANTS. SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS WERE OBTAINED AFTER 4 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION PARTICIPATION FOR THOSE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PATIENTS WITH RELATIVELY LOW STARTING BASELINE VALUES (BASELINE ITEM MEAN VALUE < 3.31 AND 3.22, RESPECTIVELY) AND AFTER 8 WEEKS FOR MOST PATIENTS (APPROXIMATELY 75%) WITH MODERATE STARTING BASELINE VALUES (BASELINE ITEM MEAN VALUE < 7.30 AND 5.34, RESPECTIVELY). THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE LEVELS OF DEPRESSION (F = 1.29, P > .05) OR ANXIETY (F = 2.7, P > .05). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: THE 8-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM DEVELOPED IN THIS STUDY EFFECTIVELY REDUCED FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER BUT DID NOT REDUCE DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY. ONCOLOGY NURSES SHOULD STRENGTHEN THEIR CLINICAL HEALTH EDUCATION AND APPLY YOGA TO REDUCE THE FATIGUE EXPERIENCED BY PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WHO UNDERGO ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. 2014 8 2508 55 YOGA BREATHING FOR CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: RESULTS OF A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MANY DEBILITATING SYMPTOMS ARISE FROM CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT THAT ARE OFTEN UNRELIEVED BY ESTABLISHED METHODS. PRANAYAMA, A SERIES OF YOGIC BREATHING TECHNIQUES, MAY IMPROVE CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED FOR THIS PURPOSE. OBJECTIVES: A PILOT STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO EVALUATE FEASIBILITY AND TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF PRANAYAMA ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL COMPARING PRANAYAMA TO USUAL CARE. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. SUBJECTS: PATIENTS RECEIVING CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE PRANAYAMA IMMEDIATELY OR AFTER A WAITING PERIOD (CONTROL GROUP). INTERVENTIONS: THE PRANAYAMA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF FOUR BREATHING TECHNIQUES TAUGHT IN WEEKLY CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME. THE TREATMENT GROUP RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING TWO CONSECUTIVE CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED USUAL CARE DURING THEIR FIRST CYCLE, AND RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING THEIR SECOND CYCLE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. OUTCOME MEASURES: FEASIBILITY, CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS (FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS), AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE THE OUTCOMES. RESULTS: CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS NEARLY 100% IN BOTH GROUPS. SIXTEEN (16) PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. THE REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSES DEMONSTRATED THAT ANY INCREASE IN PRANAYAMA DOSE, WITH DOSE MEASURED IN THE NUMBER OF HOURS PRACTICED IN CLASS OR AT HOME, RESULTED IN IMPROVED SYMPTOM AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE SCORES. SEVERAL OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS--SLEEP DISTURBANCE (P=0.04), ANXIETY (P=0.04), AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.05)--REACHED OR APPROACHED STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA BREATHING WAS A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH CANCER RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PRANAYAMA MAY IMPROVE SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE. A DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN PRANAYAMA USE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE FINDINGS NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN A LARGER STUDY. 2012 9 1240 47 FEASIBILITY OF A MINDFUL YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER: RESULTS OF A RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER (MBC) EXPERIENCE HIGH LEVELS OF SYMPTOMS. YOGA INTERVENTIONS HAVE SHOWN PROMISE FOR IMPROVING CANCER SYMPTOMS BUT HAVE RARELY BEEN TESTED IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED DISEASE. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE ACCEPTABILITY OF A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM FOR MBC AND THE FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED TRIAL TESTING THE INTERVENTION. METHODS: SIXTY-THREE WOMEN WITH MBC WERE RANDOMIZED WITH A 2:1 ALLOCATION TO YOGA OR A SUPPORT GROUP COMPARISON CONDITION. BOTH INTERVENTIONS INVOLVED EIGHT WEEKLY GROUP SESSIONS. FEASIBILITY WAS QUANTIFIED USING RATES OF ACCRUAL, ATTRITION, AND SESSION ATTENDANCE. ACCEPTABILITY WAS ASSESSED WITH A STANDARDIZED SELF-REPORT MEASURE. PAIN, FATIGUE, SLEEP QUALITY, PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, MINDFULNESS, AND FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, POST-INTERVENTION, AND 3 AND 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: WE MET GOALS FOR ACCRUAL AND RETENTION, WITH 50% OF ELIGIBLE PATIENTS ENROLLED AND 87% OF RANDOMIZED PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING POST-INTERVENTION SURVEYS. SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT OF WOMEN IN THE YOGA CONDITION AND 90% IN THE SUPPORT GROUP ATTENDED >/= 4 SESSIONS. EIGHTY PERCENT OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA CONDITION AND 65% IN THE SUPPORT GROUP INDICATED THAT THEY WERE HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH THE INTERVENTION. FOLLOWING TREATMENT, WOMEN IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION HAD MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN SOME OUTCOMES; HOWEVER, OVERALL SYMPTOM LEVELS WERE LOW FOR WOMEN IN BOTH CONDITIONS. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE YOGA INTERVENTION CONTENT WAS HIGHLY ACCEPTABLE TO PATIENTS WITH MBC, BUT THAT THERE ARE CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTING AN INTERVENTION INVOLVING EIGHT GROUP-BASED IN-PERSON SESSIONS. ALTERNATIVE MODES OF DELIVERY MAY BE NECESSARY TO REACH PATIENTS MOST IN NEED OF INTERVENTION. 2019 10 1859 55 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL OF YOGA IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES. PURPOSE: TO OBTAIN ESTIMATES OF TIME TO RECRUIT THE STUDY SAMPLE, RETENTION, FACILITY-BASED CLASS ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE FOR A STUDY OF YOGA IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, AND ITS EFFICACY ON FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND WEIGHT CHANGE. METHODS: SIXTY-THREE POST-TREATMENT STAGES 0-III BORDERLINE OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE (BODY MASS INDEX >/= 24 KG/M(2)) BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 6-MONTH, FACILITY- AND HOME-BASED VINIYOGA INTERVENTION (N = 32) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 31). THE YOGA GOAL WAS FIVE PRACTICES PER WEEK. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CHANGES IN QOL, FATIGUE, AND WEIGHT FROM BASELINE TO 6 MONTHS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE. RESULTS: IT TOOK 12 MONTHS TO COMPLETE RECRUITMENT. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEAN OF 19.6 CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME A MEAN OF 55.8 TIMES DURING THE 6-MONTH PERIOD. AT FOLLOW-UP, 90% OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AND 87% COMPLETED ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. QOL AND FATIGUE IMPROVED TO A GREATER EXTENT AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP, ALTHOUGH NO DIFFERENCES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE DECREASED 3.1 CM (95% CI, -5.7 AND -0.4) MORE AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, WITH NO DIFFERENCE IN WEIGHT CHANGE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND PRACTICE LEVELS ACHIEVED DURING A 6-MONTH, INTENSIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA MAY HELP DECREASE WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE; FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS. 2012 11 1900 47 RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: RESTORATIVE YOGA (RY) IS A GENTLE TYPE OF YOGA THAT MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR CANCER PATIENTS AND POST-TREATMENT SURVIVORS. STUDY GOALS WERE: TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A RY INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER; AND TO EXAMINE GROUP DIFFERENCES IN SELF-REPORTED EMOTIONAL, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SYMPTOM OUTCOMES. METHODS: WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER (N=44; MEAN AGE 55.8 YEARS) ENROLLED IN THIS STUDY; 34% WERE ACTIVELY UNDERGOING CANCER TREATMENT. STUDY PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE INTERVENTION (10 WEEKLY 75-MINUTE RY CLASSES) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AT WEEK 0 (BASELINE) AND WEEK 10 (IMMEDIATELY POST-INTERVENTION FOR THE YOGA GROUP). RESULTS: GROUP DIFFERENCES FAVORING THE YOGA GROUP WERE SEEN FOR MENTAL HEALTH, DEPRESSION, POSITIVE AFFECT, AND SPIRITUALITY (PEACE/MEANING). SIGNIFICANT BASELINE*GROUP INTERACTIONS WERE OBSERVED FOR NEGATIVE AFFECT AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. WOMEN WITH HIGHER NEGATIVE AFFECT AND LOWER EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AT BASELINE DERIVED GREATER BENEFIT FROM THE YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED TO THOSE WITH SIMILAR VALUES AT BASELINE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT WITHIN-GROUP IMPROVEMENT IN FATIGUE; NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS NOTED FOR THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH LIMITED BY SAMPLE SIZE, THESE PILOT DATA SUGGEST POTENTIAL BENEFIT OF RY ON EMOTIONAL OUTCOMES AND FATIGUE IN CANCER PATIENTS. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT A RY INTERVENTION IS FEASIBLE FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER; IMPLICATIONS FOR STUDY DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ARE NOTED WITH AN EMPHASIS ON PROGRAM ADOPTION AND PARTICIPANT ADHERENCE. 2009 12 1036 49 EFFECTS OF YOGA IN MANAGING FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE IS WIDELY PREVALENT IN CANCER PATIENTS AND AFFECTS QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADVANCED CANCER PATIENTS. FATIGUE IS CAUSED DUE TO BOTH PSYCHOLOGIC DISTRESS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL SEQUEL FOLLOWING CANCER PROGRESSION AND ITS TREATMENT. IN THIS STUDY, WE EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC INTERVENTION IN MANAGING FATIGUE IN METASTATIC BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. METHODS: NINETY-ONE PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM (N = 46) OR SUPPORTIVE THERAPY AND EDUCATION (N = 45) OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD. ASSESSMENTS SUCH AS PERCEIVED STRESS, FATIGUE SYMPTOM INVENTORY, DIURNAL SALIVARY CORTISOL, AND NATURAL KILLER CELL COUNTS WERE CARRIED OUT BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. ANALYSIS WAS DONE USING AN INTENTION-TO-TREAT APPROACH. POSTMEASURES FOR THE ABOVE OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED USING ANCOVA WITH RESPECTIVE BASELINE MEASURE AS A COVARIATE. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA REDUCES PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.001), FATIGUE FREQUENCY (P < 0.001), FATIGUE SEVERITY (P < 0.001), INTERFERENCE (P < 0.001), AND DIURNAL VARIATION (P < 0.001) WHEN COMPARED TO SUPPORTIVE THERAPY. THERE WAS A POSITIVE CORRELATION OF CHANGE IN FATIGUE SEVERITY WITH 9 A.M. SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA REDUCES FATIGUE IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. 2017 13 1556 43 LONG-TERM CHANGES OF SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND FATIGUE IN CANCER PATIENTS 6 MONTHS AFTER THE END OF YOGA THERAPY. BACKGROUND: SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE ARE COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH CANCER. CANCER PATIENTS INCREASINGLY USE COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS, SUCH AS YOGA, TO COPE WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS. IN THE PRESENT ARTICLE, LONG-TERM CHANGES OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND FATIGUE IN CANCER ARE EXAMINED 6 MONTHS AFTER A YOGA INTERVENTION. METHOD: WE USED AN OBSERVATIONAL DESIGN BASED ON A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY IN CANCER PATIENTS WITH MIXED DIAGNOSES TO EVALUATE LONG-TERM CHANGES OF SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND FATIGUE 6 MONTHS AFTER THE END OF YOGA THERAPY. WE MEASURED ANXIETY SYMPTOMS WITH THE GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER SCALE (GAD-7), DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS WITH THE PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE-2 (PHQ-2), AND FATIGUE WITH THE EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR RESEARCH AND TREATMENT OF CANCER QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE-FATIGUE SCALE (EORTC QLQ-FA13). YOGA THERAPY WAS PROVIDED IN YOGA CLASSES OF 60 MINUTES EACH ONCE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS IN TOTAL. THE EXERCISES PROVIDED CONTAINED BOTH BODY AND BREATHING ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS MEDITATION. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 58 PATIENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. SIX MONTHS AFTER THE END OF YOGA THERAPY, SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND FATIGUE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED COMPARED WITH BASELINE. HOWEVER, SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND FATIGUE SLIGHTLY INCREASED DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, WHEREAS SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION REMAINED STABLE. CONCLUSION: OUR RESULTS ARE PROMISING AND SUPPORT THE INTEGRATION OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN SUPPORTIVE CANCER TREATMENT CONCEPTS BUT SHOULD BE CONFIRMED BY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY ON CANCER PATIENTS SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF FURTHER RESEARCH. 2019 14 2529 46 YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCES FATIGUE AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER. PURPOSE: EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 173 CANCER PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM MILD TO SEVERE FATIGUE WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 84) (IG) VERSUS WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (CG) (N = 88). YOGA THERAPY CONSISTED OF EIGHT WEEKLY SESSIONS WITH 60 MIN EACH. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS SELF-REPORTED FATIGUE SYMPTOMS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). DATA WERE ASSESSED USING QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE (T0) AND AFTER YOGA THERAPY FOR IG VERSUS WAITING PERIOD FOR CG (T1). RESULTS: A STRONGER REDUCTION OF GENERAL FATIGUE (P = .033), PHYSICAL FATIGUE (P = .048), AND DEPRESSION (P < .001) AS WELL AS A STRONGER INCREASE IN QOL (P = .002) WAS FOUND FOR PATIENTS WHO ATTENDED 7 OR 8 SESSIONS COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. WITHIN THE YOGA GROUP, BOTH HIGHER ATTENDANCE RATE AND LOWER T0-FATIGUE WERE SIGNIFICANT PREDICTORS OF LOWER T1-FATIGUE (P