Abstract
Background: As cancer mortality rates improve in Singapore, there is an increasing need to improve the transition to posttreatment survivorship care. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a psychoeducation group (PEG) intervention program compared with usual care to reduce distress for physical symptom and psychological aspects in Asian breast cancer survivors who have completed adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: This was a randomized, controlled trial comprising 72 Asian early stage breast cancer survivors who were randomized into the PEG (n = 34) or the control (n = 38) arm. The participants in the PEG arm underwent a weekly multidisciplinary PEG program delivered in a group format over 3 weeks coupled with cultural adaptation. Both arms were assessed at baseline and 2 months after intervention using the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and EORTC QLQ-C30. A satisfaction questionnaire was also conducted among those survivors who have participated in the PEG program. Effective sizes were calculated using Cohen d. Results: The mean age ± SD of all participants was 53.0 ± 8.9 years, with the majority being Chinese (84.7%) and Malay (6.9%), and clinical characteristics were well balanced in both arms. Compared to the control arm, the PEG arm showed a significantly greater reduction in physical symptom distress (d = 0.76, P =.01) and fatigue (d = 0.49, P =.04). The 82.4% of the participants in the intervention group responded to the satisfaction questionnaire, and the majority (92.9%) agreed that the overall duration of the PEG intervention program was appropriate. Conclusions: A culturally adapted PEG program was effective in reducing physical symptom distress in Asian breast cancer survivors. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02600299).
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1654-1659 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Psycho-Oncology |
Volume | 26 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- cancer
- cancer survivors
- oncology
- physical symptom distress
- psychoeducation group
- psychological distress
- survivorship