Integrative Approaches for Sleep Health in Cancer Survivors

Sleep Disturbance as a Mediator of Lung Cancer Stigma on Psychological Distress and Physical Symptom Burden

OBJECTIVE

This study tested sleep disturbance as a mediator through which stigma and discrimination predict psychological distress and physical symptom burden in adults with lung cancer.

METHODS

Lung cancer patients on active oncological treatment ( N = 108; 74.1% stage IV) completed questionnaires on lung cancer stigma, sleep, distress, and physical symptoms at study entry and at 6- and 12-week follow-up. Mediation analyses were conducted to investigate whether stigma and discrimination predicted distress and physical symptoms at study entry and across 12 weeks through disrupted sleep.

RESULTS

Higher discrimination ( b = 5.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.10-8.94) and constrained disclosure ( b = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.05-0.85) were associated significantly with higher sleep disruption at study entry. Sleep disruption, in turn, was associated with higher distress ( b = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.09-0.29) and physical symptoms ( b = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.17-0.40) at study entry. Sleep disruption significantly mediated relationships between higher discrimination and the outcomes of distress (indirect effect = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.13-1.96) and physical symptoms (indirect effect = 1.58, 95% CI = 0.37-2.79) at study entry. Sleep disruption also mediated relationships between constrained disclosure and the outcomes of distress (indirect effect = 0.85, 95% CI = < 0.01-0.17) and physical symptoms (indirect effect = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.01-0.25).

CONCLUSIONS

Lung cancer patients evidenced pronounced sleep disruption, which mediated relationships between indicators of lung cancer stigma and distress and physical symptoms at study entry. Research is needed to test additional mechanisms through which lung cancer stigma predicts these outcomes longitudinally.

Mi Sleep Coach Mobile App to Address Insomnia Symptoms Among Cancer Survivors: Single-Arm Feasibility Study

BACKGROUND

Rates of sleep disturbance among survivors of cancer are more than 3 times higher than the general population. Causes of sleep disturbance among survivors are many and multifaceted, including anxiety and fear related to cancer diagnosis and treatments. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is considered a first-line treatment for insomnia; However, a lack of access to trained professionals and limited insurance coverage for CBT-I services has limited patient access to these effective treatments. Evidence supports digital delivery of CBT-I (dCBT-I), but there is only limited evidence to support its use among survivors of cancer. Broad adoption of smartphone technology provides a new channel to deliver dCBT-I, but no prior studies have evaluated mobile dCBT-I interventions for survivors. To address the need for accessible and efficacious CBT-I for survivors of cancer, the Mi Sleep Coach program was developed to adapt CBT-I for delivery to survivors of cancer as a self-directed mobile health app.

OBJECTIVE

This single-arm feasibility study assessed the adherence, attrition, usefulness, and satisfaction of the Mi Sleep Coach app for insomnia.

METHODS

A 7-week, single-arm study was conducted, enrolling adult survivors of breast, prostate, or colon cancer reporting sleep disturbances.

RESULTS

In total, 30 participants were enrolled, with 100% completing the study and providing data through week 7. Further, 9 out of 10 app features were found to be useful by 80% (n=24) to 93% (n=28) of the 30 participants. Furthermore, 27 (90%) participants were satisfied with the Mi Sleep Coach app and 28 (93%) would recommend the use of the Mi Sleep Coach app for those with insomnia. The Insomnia Severity Index showed a decrease from baseline (18.5, SD 4.6) to week 7 (10.4, SD 4.2) of 8.1 (P<.001; Cohen d=1.5). At baseline, 25 (83%) participants scored in the moderate (n=19; 15-21) or severe (n=6; 22-28) insomnia range. At week 7, a total of 4 (13%) patients scored in the moderate (n=4) or severe (n=0) range. The number of patients taking prescription sleep medications decreased from 7 (23%) at baseline to 1 (3%; P<.001) at week 7. The number of patients taking over-the-counter sleep medications decreased from 14 (47%) at baseline to 9 (30%; P=.03) at week 7.

CONCLUSIONS

The Mi Sleep Coach app demonstrated high levels of program adherence and user satisfaction and had large effects on the severity of insomnia among survivors of cancer. The Mi Sleep Coach app is a promising intervention for cancer-related insomnia, and further clinical trials are warranted. If proven to significantly decrease insomnia in survivors of cancer in future randomized controlled clinical trials, this intervention would provide more survivors of cancer with easy access to evidence-based CBT-I treatment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04827459; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04827459.

When Cancer Centers Snooze, Patients Lose: It is Time to Make Insomnia a Priority for Survivors

Insomnia is a big problem for cancer survivors. Prioritizing evaluation and treatment is essential!

Sleep-wake state discrepancy among cancer survivors with insomnia symptoms

PURPOSE

To evaluate the discrepancy and correlation between sleep-wake measures (i.e., time in bed (TIB), total sleep time (TST), sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and sleep efficiency (SE%)) reported on sleep diary and measured by actigraphy among cancer survivors with insomnia symptoms; and examine the influences of sociodemographic and clinical variables on these measurement differences.

METHODS

A heterogenous sample of cancer survivors with insomnia symptoms (n = 120; M age = 63.7 ± 10.1; female = 58.3%) was included. Seven consecutive days of sleep diary and actigraphic data were obtained along with information on demographic, sleep, and mental health symptoms. Bland-Altman plot, Pearson correlation coefficient, concordance correlation coefficient, and mixed linear model approach were used to conduct the analysis.

RESULTS

Self-reported TIB, SOL, and WASO were longer than measured by actigraphy (TIB: 8.6 min. (95% CI, 3.7, 13.5; p < .001); SOL: 14.8 min. (95% CI, 9.4, 20.2; p < .0001); and WASO: 20.7 min. (95% CI, 9.4, 20.2; p < .0001), respectively); and self-reported TST and SE% were shorter than measured by actigraphy (TST: 6.8 min. (95% CI, -18.7, 5.13); and SE%: 0.7% (95%CI, -3.0, 2.0), respectively), but were not statistically significant. Sex, higher insomnia severity, and poor sleep quality were associated with discrepancy between several sleep-wake measures.

CONCLUSION

Subjective and objective sleep-wake measures may present discrepant finding among cancer survivors with symptoms of insomnia. Future research is needed to validate appropriate sleep-wake assessment, and better understand factors that influence the discrepancy that exists between measures among this population.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical trials identifier: NCT03810365. Date of registration: January 14, 2019.

Digital Cognitive Behavioral- and Mindfulness-Based Stress-Management Interventions for Survivors of Breast Cancer: Development Study

BACKGROUND

Psychosocial stress-management interventions can reduce stress and distress and improve the quality of life for survivors of cancer. As these in-person interventions are not always offered or accessible, evidence-informed digital stress-management interventions may have the potential to improve outreach of psychosocial support for survivors of cancer. Few such digital interventions exist so far, few if any have been developed specifically for survivors of breast cancer, and few if any have attempted to explore more than 1 distinct type of intervention framework.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to develop 2 digital psychosocial stress-management interventions for survivors of breast cancer; 1 cognitive behavioral therapy-based intervention (CBI), and 1 mindfulness-based intervention (MBI).

METHODS

The development of the CBI and MBI interventions originated from the existing StressProffen program, a digital stress-management intervention program for survivors of cancer, based on a primarily cognitive behavioral therapeutic concept. Development processes entailed a multidisciplinary design approach and were iteratively conducted in close collaboration between key stakeholders, including experts within psychosocial oncology, cancer epidemiology, stress-management, and eHealth as well as survivors of breast cancer and health care providers. Core psychosocial oncology stress-management and cancer epidemiology experts first conducted a series of workshops to identify cognitive behavioral and mindfulness specific StressProffen content, overlapping psychoeducational content, and areas where development and incorporation of new material were needed. Following the program content adaptation and development phase, phases related to user testing of new content and technical, privacy, security, and ethical aspects and adjustments ensued. Intervention content for the distinct CBI and MBI interventions was refined in iterative user-centered design processes and adjusted to electronic format through stakeholder-centered iterations.

RESULTS

For the CBI version, the mindfulness-based content of the original StressProffen was removed, and for the MBI version, cognitive behavioral content was removed. Varying degrees of new content were created for both versions, using a similar layout as for the original StressProffen program. New content and new exercises in particular were tested by survivors of breast cancer and a project-related editorial team, resulting in subsequent user centered adjustments, including ensuring auditory versions and adequate explanations before less intuitive sections. Other improvements included implementing a standard closing sentence to round off every exercise, and allowing participants to choose the length of some of the mindfulness exercises. A legal disclaimer and a description of data collection, user rights and study contact information were included to meet ethical, privacy, and security requirements.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows how theory specific (ie, CBI and MBI) digital stress-management interventions for survivors of breast cancer can be developed through extensive collaborations between key stakeholders, including scientists, health care providers, and survivors of breast cancer. Offering a variety of evidence-informed stress-management approaches may potentially increase interest for outreach and impact of psychosocial interventions for survivors of cancer.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.2196/47195.

Functional Outcomes of Patients with Primary Brain Tumors Undergoing Inpatient Rehabilitation at a Tertiary Care Rehabilitation Facility in Saudi Arabia

Rehabilitation services play a crucial role in improving the functionality and quality of life of individuals with a brain tumor; however, outcomes of inpatient rehabilitation based on tumor characteristics are not well known in the literature. This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of tumor characteristics on functional outcomes. A retrospective chart review was conducted for all adults with a diagnosis of primary brain tumor admitted for IPR between January 2014 and December 2019. Information was collected regarding demographics, characteristics of primary brain tumors, length of stay (LOS) and Functional Independence Measurement (FIM) scores. There were 46 patients, with the majority being male. The most common brain tumors were glioblastoma multiforme and meningioma. The mean LOS was 47.93 ± 26.40 days and the mean FIM gain was 78 ± 14. The type, grade and location of primary brain tumors did not show a significant correlation with the length of stay and functional gains during inpatient rehabilitation. There was a positive correlation between the FIM at admission and discharge, and a significant inverse correlation between the FIM score at admission and LOS. In-patient rehabilitation improved the functional outcomes in adult patients with primary brain tumors. Strategies to incorporate IPR in the care continuum of patients with brain tumors need to be adapted to improve regional services.

Experiences of Forest Healing Instructors Who Met Cancer Patients in Forest Healing Programs: FGI Research

BACKGROUND

Demand for urban forest programs for the healing of cancer survivors is increasing. To develop a forest healing program for the integrated care of cancer patients, it is necessary to analyze the experiences of forest healing instructors who have conducted programs for cancer patients.

METHODS

This qualitative study applied focus group interviews (FGIs; four interviews with sixteen participants) to describe and understand the experiences of forest healing instructors who run forest healing programs for cancer patients.

RESULTS

Four themes were identified: "prepared encounters and unexpected encounters," "yearning for healing," "people who need special care," and "things to prepare for cancer patient programs."

CONCLUSION

Forest healing instructors had difficulty facilitating programs for cancer patients owing to prejudice and a lack of knowledge about the characteristics of cancer patients. Moreover, differentiated programs and places that align with the specific needs of cancer patients are needed. It is necessary to develop an integrated care forest healing program for cancer patients and educate forest healing instructors about the needs of cancer patients.

The effect of peer support psychoeducation based on experiential learning on self-care demands among breast cancer patients with post-chemotherapy

Background

Breast cancer patients with post-chemotherapy had self-care deficit problems. The patient is unable to perform activities of daily living which can decrease the quality of life. One of the factors that affected self-care deficit among breast cancer patients was inadequate information. This study aimed to determine the effects of peer support psychoeducation based on experiential learning on the self-care demand.

Design and methods

This study used a quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest. The independent variable of the study was the application of peer support psychoeducation based on experiential learning and the dependent variable was the self-care demand. The inclusion criteria in this study were breast cancer patients with post-chemotherapy. The exclusion criteria in this study were patients who were unconscious. We selected the experimental and control group randomly. The total sample in this study was 60 people, 30 respondents for the experiment group and 30 respondents for the control group. Peer support psychoeducation based on experiential learning was developed from Wauchope's psychoeducational theory, Orem's self-care, and David Kolb's experiential learning. We used a self-report questionnaire to measure self-care demand. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed rank and Mann-Whitney U tests.

Results

Peer support psychoeducation based on experiential learning has a significant effect on self-care demand, namely ADL (p = 0.002), pain management (p = 0.002), nutritional management (p = 0.000), and rest and sleep (p = 0.000).

Conclusion

Psychoeducation based on experiential learning was recommended for nursing care or physician to increase self-care demand.

Mental health and quality of life according to sleep in cancer survivors

PURPOSE

This study investigated the association of sleep duration with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health in cancer survivors.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 846 cancer survivors aged 19 years and older from Korea. Associations between sleep duration, HRQoL, and mental health were analyzed using analysis of covariance and logistic regression.

FINDINGS

Survivors who slept 5 h or less had lower HRQoL and higher risk of suicidal ideation than survivors who slept 6-8 h.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Sleep improvement programs should be developed as sleep disorders may be a central concern among cancer survivors.

Associations between longitudinal changes in sleep disturbance and depressive and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 virus pandemic among older women with and without breast cancer in the thinking and living with breast cancer study

PURPOSE

Several studies have reported sleep disturbances during the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Little data exist about the impact of the pandemic on sleep and mental health among older women with breast cancer. We sought to examine whether women with and without breast cancer who experienced new sleep problems during the pandemic had worsening depression and anxiety.

METHODS

Breast cancer survivors aged ≥60 years with a history of nonmetastatic breast cancer (n = 242) and frequency-matched noncancer controls (n = 158) active in a longitudinal cohort study completed a COVID-19 virus pandemic survey from May to September 2020 (response rate 83%). Incident sleep disturbance was measured using the restless sleep item from the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). CES-D score (minus the sleep item) captured depressive symptoms; the State-Anxiety subscale of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory measured anxiety symptoms. Multivariable linear regression models examined how the development of sleep disturbance affected changes in depressive or anxiety symptoms from the most recent prepandemic survey to the pandemic survey, controlling for covariates.

RESULTS

The prevalence of sleep disturbance during the pandemic was 22.3%, with incident sleep disturbance in 10% and 13.5% of survivors and controls, respectively. Depressive and anxiety symptoms significantly increased during the pandemic among women with incident sleep disturbance (vs. no disturbance) (β = 8.16, p < 0.01 and β = 6.14, p < 0.01, respectively), but there were no survivor-control differences in the effect.

CONCLUSION

Development of sleep disturbances during the COVID-19 virus pandemic may negatively affect older women's mental health, but breast cancer survivors diagnosed with the nonmetastatic disease had similar experiences as women without cancer.

Cancer-related accelerated ageing and biobehavioural modifiers: a framework for research and clinical care

A growing body of evidence indicates that patients with cancer who receive cytotoxic treatments (such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy) have an increased risk of accelerated physical and cognitive ageing. Furthermore, accelerated biological ageing is a suspected driving force behind many of these observed effects. In this Review, we describe the mechanisms of biological ageing and how they apply to patients with cancer. We highlight the important role of specific behavioural factors, namely stress, sleep and lifestyle-related factors such as physical activity, weight management, diet and substance use, in the accelerated ageing of patients with cancer and cancer survivors. We also present a framework of how modifiable behaviours could operate to either increase the risk of accelerated ageing, provide protection, or promote resilience at both the biological level and in terms of patient-reported outcomes.

Effects of activity tracker-based counselling and live-web exercise on breast cancer survivors' sleep and waking time during Italy's COVID-19 lockdown

The aim of the study was to compare the effects of weekly personal feedback, based on objectively measured physical activity, on daily sleep in breast cancer survivors (BCS) with those of an intervention that also included online supervised physical exercise sessions (OSPES). BCS benefiting from both personal feedback and OSPES (n = 24), from pre-lockdown (T0) to the first month (T1) of the national lockdown, experienced an increase in both total (p ≤ 0.001) and restorative (p ≤ 0.001) sleep time, inverting their trend from the first month of lockdown to its end (total sleeping time T1 vs. T2 0.01 ≤ p < .001, T1 vs. T3 p ≤ 0.001; restorative sleeping time T1 vs. T2 0.05 ≤ p < .01, T1 vs. T3 p ≤ 0.001). Supportive technology, together with the reception of weekly tailored advice and OSPES seems to improve both quality and quantity of sleep.

Sleep Disruption, Fatigue, and Depression as Predictors of 6-Year Clinical Outcomes Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a widely used treatment for hematologic cancers, with survival rates ranging from 25% to 78%. Known risk factors for chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), a serious and common long-term complication, disease relapse, and mortality following HCT have been identified, but much of the variability in HCT outcomes is unexplained. Biobehavioral symptoms including depression, sleep disruption, and fatigue are some of the most prevalent and distressing for patients; yet research on biobehavioral risk factors for HCT outcomes is limited. This study evaluated patient-reported depression, sleep disruption, and fatigue as risk factors for cGVHD, disease relapse, and mortality.

METHODS

Adults receiving allogeneic HCT for a hematologic malignancy (N = 241) completed self-report measures of depression symptoms, sleep quality, and fatigue (severity, interference) pre-HCT and 100 days post-HCT. Clinical outcomes were monitored for up to 6 years.

RESULTS

Cox proportional hazard models (2-tailed) adjusting for patient demographic and medical characteristics revealed that high pre-HCT sleep disruption (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index >9; hazard ratio [HR] = 2.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27 to 5.92) and greater post-HCT fatigue interference (HR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.66) uniquely predicted increased risk of mortality. Moderate pre-HCT sleep disruption (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index 6-9) predicted increased risk of relapse (HR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.02 to 3.87). Biobehavioral symptoms did not predict cGVHD incidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Biobehavioral symptoms, particularly sleep disruption and fatigue interference, predicted an increased risk for 6-year relapse and mortality after HCT. Because these symptoms are amenable to treatment, they offer specific targets for intervention to improve HCT outcomes.

The effect of three-circle post standing (Zhanzhuang) qigong on the physical and psychological well-being of college students: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Qigong has a long-term application by integration of mind, breath and body to prevent and cure diseases. Researches show that qigong practice could adjust anxiety, the mechanism may found on brain and heart functions. Currently there are limitations on qigong's anxiety-release mechanism study between mind and body, and existing studies lack of evidence on electrophysiology research. Our objective to analyse qigong's anxiety-release effect and mechanism.

METHODS

A two-arm randomized clinical trial with 144 qigong naïve anxiety subjects without cerebral or cardiovascular diseases or other severe syndromes will be allocated to either a body and breath regulation group (n = 72) or a body regulation group (n = 72). Participants will conduct three-circle post standing qigong exercise 5 times per week for 8 weeks, while the three-circle post standing qigong combined with abdominal breath regulation (TCPSQ-BR) group will combined with abdominal breath regulation. The primary outcome will be the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and the secondary outcome will be complexity-based measures of heart rate and electroencephalogram (EEG) signals assessed at baseline and 8 weeks. Multiscale entropy analysis will be used as measure of complexity.

CONCLUSION

This study will be investigate the effects of qigong's anxiety-release by SAS, and will analyze the coordinates of EEG and heart rate variability (HRV) signals before and after three-circle post standing qigong (TCPSQ) practice, and to analyse their synergies by complex signal process method.

ETHICS AND TRAIL REGISTRATION

The protocol was approved by the institutional review boards of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (2018BZHYLL0109). This study was registered with the "Chinese Clinical Trail Registry" in the WHO Registry Network (ChiCTR-Bon-17010840).

Longitudinal Changes in Sleep: Associations with Shifts in Circulating Cytokines and Emotional Distress in a Cancer Survivor Population

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbances are associated with numerous mood disorders. Similarly, anxiety and depression are associated with modulation of the psychoneuroimmune (PNI) axis. This study hypothesized that changes in both monitored and self-reported measures of sleep would relate to changes in circulating cytokine levels in an emotionally distressed population of cervical cancer survivors.

METHODS

Biospecimens, patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures, and actigraphy were collected from cervical cancer survivors enrolled in a biobehavioral clinical trial. Longitudinal changes over a 4-month period were examined. Sleep time measured by actigraphy and PRO were analyzed for correlative changes with emotional distress and serum cytokines (n = 71).

RESULTS

Longitudinal change in the actigraph measure of sleep time was inversely associated with changes in depression and anxiety (test for linear trend, p = 0.02 and p = 0.05 respectively), as well as acute-phase response/pro-inflammatory cytokines (test for linear trend, p = 0.003, interleukin (IL)-2; 0.022, IL-1β; 0.0002, IL-6; and 0.049, tumor necrosis factor α). Conversely, changes in self-reported sleep problems were related to an increase in depression and anxiety (p = 0.001 and p = 0.01 respectively), the T helper 2 (Th2) cytokine IL-5 (p = 0.027), and the counter-regulatory cytokine IL-10 (0.016).

CONCLUSION

This study showed that an increase in sleep time or decrease in sleep problems corresponded with a reduction in self-reported emotional distress and attenuation of pro-inflammatory, Th2, and counter-regulatory cytokines. Our results support sleep measurement as a meaningful biobehavioral variable in cancer survivorship. This study also indicates that sleep investigators should be aware that choice of methodology might influence concordance with different classes of immune parameters.

Living with persistent insomnia after cancer: A qualitative analysis of impact and management

OBJECTIVES

To conduct a qualitative exploration of the lived experience of insomnia disorder and its management amongst a sample of mixed-diagnoses cancer survivors.

METHODS

Twenty-seven cancer survivors with persistent insomnia were recruited to this qualitative study following completion of treatment for breast (12), prostate (7), colorectal (7), and gynaecological (1) cancers. Eleven males and 16 females (mean age 62 years), who met DSM-5 criteria for insomnia disorder, contributed to one of four focus group discussions, designed to explore the lived experience of persistent insomnia and its management within cancer care services.

RESULTS

Poor sleep was a persistently troubling complaint for participants, long after the completion of active cancer treatment. The impact of insomnia was significant for all participants, with six key domains emerging as those most affected: temperament, sociability, physical well-being, cognitive functioning, relationships, and psychological well-being. In terms of insomnia management, participants frequently resorted to unfruitful self-management strategies, due to the lack of professional insomnia expertise within cancer care settings. Three main themes emerged in relation to insomnia management: self-management, seeking professional intervention, and a lack of focus on sleep. A lack of clinician understanding of the importance of sleep health and the poor availability of evidence-based insomnia interventions, such as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-i), were highlighted as important gaps in cancer care.

CONCLUSIONS

Insomnia was found to have a detrimental and pervasive impact on cancer survivors' quality of life, which persisted long into survivorship. There is an absence of professional attention to sleep throughout the cancer care trajectory, contributing to its prevalence, persistence, and impact. In order to break this cycle, sleep health should be integrated as a key aspect of cancer treatment and rehabilitation, much like maintaining a healthy diet and appropriate levels of physical activity.