1 1750 98 PILOT STUDY OF YOGA FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH POOR QUALITY OF LIFE. INTRODUCTION: STUDIES SHOW BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH POOR QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL); HOWEVER, NONE EXCLUSIVELY FOCUS ON SURVIVORS. THIS STUDY ADDRESSES WHETHER HATHA YOGA IMPROVES BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS' QOL. METHODS: 25 BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS COMPLETED SIX WEEKS OF YOGA. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE 5 QOL CATEGORIES EVALUATED USING THE FACT-B SURVEY PRE AND POST-INTERVENTION AND AFTER 6 MONTHS. RESULTS: EACH CATEGORY WAS EVALUATED INDEPENDENTLY, INCLUDING: PHYSICAL (PWB), SOCIAL (SWB), EMOTIONAL (EWB), FUNCTIONAL (FWB), BREAST CANCER SPECIFIC WELL-BEING (BCS), TRIAL OUTCOME INDEX (TOI), FACT-G, AND FACT-B. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS FOUND IN ALL CATEGORIES EXCEPT SOCIAL WELL-BEING (PWB P = .013, EWB P = .005, FWB P = .003, BCS P < .001, TOI P < .001, FACT-G P = .004, FACT-B P < .001). PATIENTS WITH BELOW AVERAGE PRE-INTERVENTION INDEX SCORES (N = 13) SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN EWB AND FWB, WHILE THOSE WITH ABOVE AVERAGE PRE-INTERVENTION SCORES (N = 9) SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN PWB. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY BE FEASIBLE AND CLINICALLY USEFUL FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH POOR QOL. 2012 2 149 31 A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH AROMATASE INHIBITOR-ASSOCIATED ARTHRALGIAS. RESEARCH QUESTION: ARTHRALGIA AFFECTS POSTMENOPAUSAL BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (BCS) RECEIVING AROMATASE INHIBITORS (AI), WHICH MAY RESULT IN REDUCED FUNCTION AND LONG-TERM WELL-BEING. THIS IS AN EXPLORATORY, QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF BCS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A YOGA-BASED PROGRAM TO UNDERSTAND IMPACT ON JOINT PAIN AND VARIOUS ASPECTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) THROUGH A YOGA PROGRAM. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY WAS USED AND PROVIDED THE FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPING A YOGA INTERVENTION THROUGH SOURCES OF EFFICACY INFORMATION: (1) PERFORMANCE ACCOMPLISHMENT, (2) STRUCTURED EXPERIENCE, (3) VERBAL SUPPORT FROM INSTRUCTOR AND GROUP, AND (4) PHYSICAL FEEDBACK. METHODOLOGY: TEN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH STAGE I-III BREAST CANCER AND AI ASSOCIATED ARTHRALGIA (AIAA) RECEIVED YOGA TWICE A WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS FOR 90 MINUTES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTINUE IN A HOME-BASED YOGA PROGRAM. WE USED SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (SCT) TO STRUCTURE A YOGA INTERVENTION AS AN ONGOING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO MANAGE JOINT PAIN AND FUNCTION. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED JOURNAL REFLECTIONS ON THEIR EXPERIENCE AND RECEIVED WEEKLY PHONE CALLS. ANALYSIS: DATA WAS COLLECTED AND ANALYZED USING QUALITATIVE METHODS. MEMBER CHECKS WERE COMPLETED AND EMERGENT THEMES WERE EXPLORED AND AGREED UPON BY THE RESEARCH TEAM TO ENSURE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF DATA. SEVERAL EMERGENT THEMES WERE DISCOVERED: EMPOWERMENT: IMPORTANCE OF CAMARADERIE, COMMUNITY, AND SHARING; PAIN RELIEF; INCREASED PHYSICAL FITNESS (ENERGY, FLEXIBILITY, AND FUNCTION); RELIEVED STRESS/ANXIETY AND TRANSFERABILITY OF YOGA THROUGH BREATHING. THESE THEMES WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH INSTRUCTOR OBSERVATION, PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION, AND WEEKLY PHONE CALL DOCUMENTATION. INTERPRETATION: PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED AN EIGHT-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION AS AN EFFECTIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SUPPORT GROUP THAT FOSTERED VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND REDUCTION IN AIAA. PARTICIPANTS WERE HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL FITNESS LEVELS AND REDUCE PAIN. THIS STUDY REVEALED BENEFITS FROM ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA TO PROVIDE A STRUCTURE, WHICH IS TRANSFERABLE IN OTHER SITUATIONS. INFORMATION, STRUCTURED PHYSICAL GUIDANCE IN YOGA POSTURES, SUPPORT, AND FEEDBACK ARE NECESSARY TO FOSTER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR BCS EXPERIENCING PAIN. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: RESULTS OF THIS QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS INDICATE THAT INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT BCS WITH AIAA ARE WARRANTED. YOGA APPEARS TO POSITIVELY IMPACT THESE SIDE EFFECTS OF HORMONAL THERAPIES. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH WOULD AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER INTERVENTIONS. 2012 3 201 37 A RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: DATA SHOW THAT YOGA IS EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. WHILE BREAST CANCER IS THE MOST COMMONLY DIAGNOSED CANCER AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN (AAW), AAW ARE LESS LIKELY TO ENGAGE IN YOGA COMPARED TO OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS. THE GOALS OF THE CURRENT STUDY WERE TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF AN 8-WEEK RESTORATIVE YOGA PROGRAM AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICAN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (AA BCS). SPECIFICALLY, STUDY AIMS WERE TO (1) MEASURE CHANGES IN STUDY OUTCOMES IN A RESTORATIVE YOGA (RY) GROUP COMPARED TO A WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP, (2) ASSESS ADHERENCE TO THE RY PROGRAM, AND (3) ASSESS PROGRAM SATISFACTION AMONG STUDY PARTICIPANTS. METHODS: THIRTY-THREE AA BCS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE RY INTERVENTION (N = 18) OR WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 15). RY CLASSES MET ONCE PER WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. PRE- AND POST-TESTING ASSESSMENTS WERE MEASURED AT 0 AND 8 WEEKS (IMMEDIATELY POST-INTERVENTION). RESULTS: DEPRESSION SCORES AT FOLLOW-UP WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP (M = 4.78, SD = 3.56) COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (M = 6.91, SD = 5.86). NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED FOR SLEEP QUALITY, FATIGUE, OR PERCEIVED STRESS. YOGA PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING BASELINE ASSESSMENTS DEMONSTRATED 61% ADHERENCE TO THE YOGA CLASSES. AVERAGE RATING OF THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS "VERY USEFUL." RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE YOGA PROGRAMS WERE PROVIDED. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT YOGA HAS A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON DEPRESSION IN AA BCS. THERE IS, HOWEVER, A NEED TO FURTHER EXPLORE THE BENEFITS OF YOGA AMONG MINORITY BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS USING A STUDY WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZES. 2018 4 1405 30 IMPACT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH AROMATASE INHIBITOR-ASSOCIATED ARTHRALGIAS. ARTHRALGIA AFFECTS POSTMENOPAUSAL BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (BCSS) RECEIVING AROMATASE INHIBITORS (AIS). THIS STUDY AIMS TO ESTABLISH THE FEASIBILITY OF STUDYING THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON OBJECTIVE FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES, PAIN, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HR-QOL) FOR AI-ASSOCIATED ARTHRALGIA (AIAA). POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH STAGE I TO III BREAST CANCER WHO REPORTED AIAA WERE ENROLLED IN A SINGLE-ARM PILOT TRIAL. A YOGA PROGRAM WAS PROVIDED TWICE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. THE FUNCTIONAL REACH (FR) AND SIT AND REACH (SR) WERE EVALUATED AS PRIMARY OUTCOMES. PAIN, AS MEASURED BY THE BRIEF PAIN INVENTORY (BPI), SELF-REPORTED PATIENT SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL SCALE (PSFS), AND FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY-BREAST (FACT-B) WERE SECONDARY OUTCOMES. PAIRED T TESTS WERE USED FOR ANALYSIS, AND 90% PROVIDED DATA FOR ASSESSMENT AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BALANCE, AS MEASURED BY FR, AND FLEXIBILITY, AS MEASURED BY SR. THE PSFS IMPROVED FROM 4.55 TO 7.21, AND HR-QOL MEASURED BY FACT-B ALSO IMPROVED; BOTH P < .05. THE SCORE FOR THE PAIN SEVERITY SUBSCALE OF THE BPI REDUCED. NO ADVERSE EVENTS NOR DEVELOPMENT OR WORSENING OF LYMPHEDEMA WAS OBSERVED. IN ALL, 80% OF PARTICIPANTS ADHERED TO THE HOME PROGRAM. PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY REDUCE PAIN AND IMPROVE BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY IN BCSS WITH AIAA. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IS NEEDED TO ESTABLISH THE DEFINITIVE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR OBJECTIVE FUNCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT IN BCSS RELATED TO AIAA. 2012 5 1865 35 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 1564 39 LONGITUDINAL IMPACT OF YOGA ON CHEMOTHERAPY-RELATED COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH EARLY STAGE BREAST CANCER: A CASE SERIES. PURPOSE: ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER HAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THE CURE RATE; HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH CHEMOTHERAPY-RELATED COGNITIVE IMPACT (CRCI). THE LITERATURE PROVIDES PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR THE GENERAL CANCER POPULATION, HOWEVER, CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE SCARCE AND NO STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITION FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER DURING CHEMOTHERAPY. THIS CASE SERIES AIMS TO IDENTIFY THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON MEASURES OF COGNITION, FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (BCS). METHODS: FOUR WOMEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF EARLY-STAGE BREAST CANCER PRIOR TO CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT WERE ADMINISTERED THE FOLLOWING PHYSIOLOGIC MEASURES AT BASELINE, 6, AND 12 WEEKS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY, AND AT ONE AND THREE MONTHS AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY: FUNCTIONAL REACH TEST (BALANCE) AND SIT AND REACH TEST (FLEXIBILITY), AND QOL, POMS (MOOD) AND FACT-B (QOL), AT BASELINE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES OF COGNITION WERE MEASURED WITH THE PERCEIVED COGNITION QUESTIONNAIRE (PCQ) AND COGSTATE, A COMPUTERIZED MEASUREMENT OF COGNITION. WOMEN ATTENDED AN IYENGAR-INSPIRED YOGA PROGRAM TWICE A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. QUALITATIVE QUESTIONNAIRES WERE ADMINISTERED AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE STUDY TO DETERMINE PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF THE YOGA PROGRAM. RESULTS: FOUR WOMEN WITH STAGE II BREAST CANCER RANGED IN AGE FROM 44-65 YEARS. COGSTATE COMPUTERIZED TESTING SHOWED CHANGES IN VARYING DOMAINS OF COGNITION THROUGH TREATMENT AND FOLLOW-UP. IMPROVED BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY, AND QOL WERE ALSO NOTED OVER TIME. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE OBSERVED. ANALYSIS OF QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE YOGA CLASSES WERE HELPFUL AND SUBJECTS CONTINUED THE PRACTICE ELEMENTS OF YOGA INCLUDING RELAXATION, BREATHING, AND STRETCHING. THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF THE STUDY WAS PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS DUE TO VARIOUS MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS AND INCLUDED FATIGUE, DECREASED RANGE OF MOTION, AND PAIN. CONCLUSION: THIS CASE SERIES SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY IMPACT VARIOUS ASPECTS OF COGNITION DURING AND AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY ADMINISTRATION AS NOTED THROUGH QUANTITATIVE MEASURES. WOMEN DESCRIBE YOGA AS IMPROVING VARIOUS DOMAINS OF QOL THROUGH THE TREATMENT TRAJECTORY. THIS MIND-BODY INTERVENTION MAY STAVE OFF CRCI; HOWEVER, FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED FOR ADDITIONAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON COGNITION FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT. 2012 7 1746 36 PILOT EVALUATION OF AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. BACKGROUND: WITH CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREENING UPTAKE AND ADJUVANT CANCER TREATMENTS, THE NUMBER OF CANADIAN WOMEN SURVIVING BREAST CANCER CONTINUES TO GROW. PRELIMINARY FINDINGS SUGGEST YOGA CAN IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, BUT FEW STUDIES HAVE FOCUSED ON IYENGAR YOGA (IY). OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF IY ON QOL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING IN A SELECT SAMPLE OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (N = 24) PARTICIPATING IN IY CLASSES COMPLETED A QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURING GENERIC AND DISEASE-SPECIFIC QOL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING, BEFORE AND AFTER THE 12-WEEK CLASSES. RESULTS: POSTPROGRAM QUESTIONNAIRES WERE COMPLETED BY 17 PARTICIPANTS (71%) WHO ATTENDED AN AVERAGE OF 78.9% OF THE IY SESSIONS. SEVERAL INDICATORS OF GENERIC QOL IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY, INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH (MEAN CHANGE, +4.2; P = .045), VITALITY (MEAN CHANGE, +4.9; P = .033), ROLE-EMOTIONAL (MEAN CHANGE, +6.4; P = .010), AND BODILY PAIN (MEAN CHANGE, +4.4; P = .024). OTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN QOL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING WERE MEANINGFUL BUT WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. FINDINGS WERE FURTHER SUBSTANTIATED BY PARTICIPANT'S EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM'S BENEFITS AND MOTIVATIONAL VALUE. CONCLUSION: IN THIS PILOT STUDY OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS PARTICIPATING IN IY, WE FOUND IMPROVEMENTS IN QOL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING. MOREOVER, POSITIVE PROGRAM EVALUATION AND MOTIVATIONAL PROFILE PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE ACCEPTABILITY OF IY WITH BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING IY TO USUAL CARE AND OTHER FORMS OF YOGA IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ARE WARRANTED. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: NURSES MAY CONSIDER IY AS A POSSIBLE INTERVENTION STRATEGY TO HELP BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS IMPROVE THEIR QOL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING. 2010 8 1900 33 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 9 1192 34 EXAMINING A THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR PROSTATE CANCER SURVIVORS. BACKGROUND: IN THE EARLIER STAGES OF PROSTATE CANCER, EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS HAVE CREATED A NEED FOR RESEARCH TO FOCUS ON PRACTICES THAT MAY IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGHOUT SURVIVORSHIP. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS A SIGNIFICANT SUPPORTIVE CARE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR PROSTATE CANCER SURVIVORS, THOUGH THE OPTIMAL MODALITY IS NOT YET UNDERSTOOD. HYPOTHESES: THE AUTHORS HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA WOULD BE A FEASIBLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPTION FOR PROSTATE CANCER SURVIVORS AND THEIR SUPPORT PERSONS AND THAT THE INCORPORATION OF SOCIAL SUPPORT WOULD INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ADHERENCE. METHODS: THIS 14-WEEK FEASIBILITY STUDY INVOLVED A 7-WEEK CLASS-BASED YOGA PROGRAM (ADHERENCE PHASE), FOLLOWED BY 7 WEEKS OF SELF-SELECTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (MAINTENANCE PHASE). DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIOR, QUALITY OF LIFE, FATIGUE, STRESS, MOOD, AND FITNESS VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED AT 3 TIME POINTS. PROSTATE CANCER SURVIVORS' PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT WAS RATED DURING YOGA AND AFTER YOGA. RESULTS: CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 6.1 AND 5.8 FOR PROSTATE CANCER SURVIVORS (N = 15) AND THEIR SUPPORT PERSONS (N = 10), RESPECTIVELY, FOR THE 7 CLASSES. LEVELS OF PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT WERE HIGHER FOR THOSE WHO BROUGHT A SUPPORT PERSON. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WITH REGARD TO STRESS, FATIGUE, AND MOOD BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA CLASS (ALL PS < .05) WERE REPORTED BY ALL PARTICIPANTS. NO CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE NOTED ON PROSTATE CANCER SURVIVOR'S QUALITY OF LIFE OR FATIGUE OVER THE COURSE OF THE 14-WEEK STUDY. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IS A FEASIBLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPTION FOR PROSTATE CANCER SURVIVORS. THE PROGRAM HAD A PROMISING UPTAKE RATE, HIGH PROGRAM ADHERENCE RATE, AND THERE WERE ACUTE PROGRAM BENEFITS WITH REGARD TO STRESS, FATIGUE, AND MOOD FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS. FUTURE EXAMINATION IS WARRANTED WITH REGARD TO CHRONIC BENEFITS AND GROUP COHESION INFLUENCES ON LEVELS OF PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT. 2013 10 2604 31 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 11 478 31 CLINICAL CASE REPORT: YOGA FOR FATIGUE IN FIVE YOUNG ADULT SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER. PURPOSE: CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE (CRF) IS A DISTRESSING CONSEQUENCE OF CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT. CRF IMPACTS MANY YOUNG ADULT (YA) SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, COMPROMISING WORK, SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, AND DAILY ACTIVITIES. NO SATISFACTORY TREATMENT EXISTS. THIS PILOT STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY, SAFETY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF AN 8-WEEK TWICE/WEEK IYENGAR YOGA (IY) INTERVENTION FOR TREATING PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN YA SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER. METHODS: USING A SINGLE-ARM MIXED-METHODS DESIGN, ADULT CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORS AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 39 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FROM A SURVIVORSHIP CLINIC AT A SINGLE INSTITUTION. QUANTITATIVE: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS FATIGUE AS MEASURED BY THE FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, MULTIDIMENSIONAL FATIGUE, MOOD, AND SLEEP. WEEKLY SELF-REPORT MONITORING DATA WERE COLLECTED. QUALITATIVE: PARTICIPANTS ALSO COMPLETED A POST-INTERVENTION INTERVIEW, MAJOR THEMES EVALUATED. RESULTS: FIVE PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED INTO THE STUDY AND FOUR COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION. ATTENDANCE WAS 92% AND THERE WERE NO ADVERSE EVENTS. BASELINE MOBILITY WAS HIGHLY VARIED, WITH ONE YA HAVING HAD A HEMIPELVECTOMY. QUANTITATIVE DATA REVEALED SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED FATIGUE, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, SOMATIZATION, AND GENERAL AND EMOTIONAL MANIFESTATIONS OF FATIGUE FOLLOWING YOGA. QUALITATIVE DATA CROSS VALIDATED, CLARIFIED, AND EXPANDED UPON THE QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS. CONCLUSIONS: THE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT A BRIEF IY INTERVENTION IS SAFE FOR YA SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, EVEN FOR THOSE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES. PRELIMINARY EFFICACY WAS DEMONSTRATED FOR THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF FATIGUE. QUALITATIVE DATA ELUCIDATED ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, SUCH AS WORK-RELATED SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, AND A SENSE OF CALM AND RELAXATION. 2017 12 1862 37 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA AMONG A MULTIETHNIC SAMPLE OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE IMPACT OF YOGA, INCLUDING PHYSICAL POSES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION EXERCISES, ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), FATIGUE, DISTRESSED MOOD, AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING AMONG A MULTIETHNIC SAMPLE OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT PATIENTS (42% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 31% HISPANIC) RECRUITED FROM AN URBAN CANCER CENTER WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED (2:1 RATIO) TO A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 84) OR A 12-WEEK WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 44). CHANGES IN QOL (EG, FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY) FROM BEFORE RANDOM ASSIGNMENT (T1) TO THE 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (T3) WERE EXAMINED; PREDICTORS OF ADHERENCE WERE ALSO ASSESSED. NEARLY HALF OF ALL PATIENTS WERE RECEIVING MEDICAL TREATMENT. RESULTS: REGRESSION ANALYSES INDICATED THAT THE CONTROL GROUP HAD A GREATER DECREASE IN SOCIAL WELL-BEING COMPARED WITH THE INTERVENTION GROUP AFTER CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE SOCIAL WELL-BEING AND COVARIATES (P < .0001). SECONDARY ANALYSES OF 71 PATIENTS NOT RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY DURING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD INDICATED FAVORABLE OUTCOMES FOR THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN OVERALL QOL (P < .008), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (P < .015), SOCIAL WELL-BEING (P < .004), SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (P < .009), AND DISTRESSED MOOD (P < .031). SIXTY-NINE PERCENT OF INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED CLASSES (MEAN NUMBER OF CLASSES ATTENDED BY ACTIVE CLASS PARTICIPANTS = 7.00 +/- 3.80), WITH LOWER ADHERENCE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED FATIGUE (P < .001), RADIOTHERAPY (P < .0001), YOUNGER AGE (P < .008), AND NO ANTIESTROGEN THERAPY (P < .02). CONCLUSION: DESPITE LIMITED ADHERENCE, THIS INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AMONG A MEDICALLY DIVERSE SAMPLE OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. AMONG PATIENTS NOT RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY, YOGA APPEARS TO ENHANCE EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND MOOD AND MAY SERVE TO BUFFER DETERIORATION IN BOTH OVERALL AND SPECIFIC DOMAINS OF QOL. 2007 13 2605 37 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 14 2093 27 THE EFFECT OF YOCAS(C)(R) YOGA FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ON HORMONAL THERAPY. UP TO 50% OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ON AROMATASE INHIBITOR THERAPY REPORT MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS SUCH AS JOINT AND MUSCLE PAIN, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTING TREATMENT ADHERENCE AND DISCONTINUATION RATES. WE CONDUCTED A SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS OF A NATIONWIDE, MULTI-SITE, PHASE II/III RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, CLINICAL TRIAL EXAMINING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR IMPROVING MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS CURRENTLY RECEIVING HORMONE THERAPY (AROMATASE INHIBITORS [AI] OR TAMOXIFEN [TAM]). BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS CURRENTLY RECEIVING AI (N = 95) OR TAM (N = 72) WITH NO PARTICIPATION IN YOGA DURING THE PREVIOUS 3 MONTHS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO 2 ARMS: (1) STANDARD CARE MONITORING AND (2) STANDARD CARE PLUS THE 4-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (2X/WEEK; 75 MIN/SESSION) AND INCLUDED IN THIS ANALYSIS. THE YOGA INTERVENTION UTILIZED THE UR YOGA FOR CANCER SURVIVORS (YOCAS(C)((R))) PROGRAM CONSISTING OF BREATHING EXERCISES, 18 GENTLE HATHA AND RESTORATIVE YOGA POSTURES, AND MEDITATION. MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS WERE ASSESSED PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION. AT BASELINE, AI USERS REPORTED HIGHER LEVELS OF GENERAL PAIN, MUSCLE ACHES, AND TOTAL PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT THAN TAM USERS (ALL P