The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on the wellbeing of cervical cancer patients on chemoradiotherapy

• Autor(a) principal: Ana Paula de Melo Ferreira
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Outros Autores: Eliana Aguiar Petri Nahás, Agnaldo Lopes da Silva Filho, Sara de Pinho Cunha Paiva, Eduardo Batista Cândido, Rivia Mara Lamaita, Márcia Mendonça Carneiro, Angélica Negueira Rodrigues, Paulo Traiman, Stella Sala Soares Lima, Mônica Faria Felicíssimo
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFMG
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/51670; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8486-7861
• topic: Cervical cancer; Chemoradiation; Quality of life; Salivary cortisol; Stress; Distress; Mindfulness; Neoplasias do colo do útero; Terapia neoadjuvante; Qualidade de vida; Hidrocortisona; Atenção plena

Introduction: Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Mind-body skills represent an experiential approach to teach relaxing techniques that can enable patients to achieve mindfulness and self-awareness to engage in self-care. This study has examined whether a shot-term mindfulness-based skills (MBS) program can improve the wellbeing of women with cervical cancer being treated with chemoradiation. Methods: A cohort of 60 women was enrolled at a public academic cancer center, while on treatment for cervical cancer. The MBS intervention consisted of 7 weekly sessions of mindfulness meditation, relaxation, autogenic training, bio feedback and guided imagery. All participants from control group (n=30) and study group (n=30) were paired for age and prospectively evaluated between January and June 2013. Quality of life was assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). The distress was evaluated by Distress Thermometer, and salivary cortisol was evaluated by Salivette®. The differences between groups were assessed by Student’s t and Chi-square tests. Significance level was set at 5%. Results: The groups were similar in relation to marital status, education, menopause, height and weight. The analysis revealed significant better quality of life in women with cervical cancer submitted to chemoradiation who practiced the MBS techniques compared to control group (p=0.0001). There was also a significant association between participation in the MBS program and decrease of Distress Thermometer parameters (p<0.0001) and salivary cortisol (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Both qualitative and quantitative assessment suggests that a 7-week MBS program may decrease salivary cortisol, as well as improve the general wellbeing and quality of life of women with cervical cancer undergoing chemoradiation.