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Randomized Controlled Trial of Qigong/Tai Chi Easy on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

Many breast cancer survivors experience fatigue, mood, and sleep disturbances.

Purpose

This study aims to compare a meditative movement practice, Qigong/Tai Chi Easy (QG/TCE) with sham Qigong (SQG), testing effects of meditation/breath aspects of QG/TCE on breast cancer survivors’ persistent fatigue and other symptoms.

Methods

This double-blind, randomized controlled trial tested 12 weeks of QG/TCE versus SQG on fatigue, depression, and sleep among 87 postmenopausal, fatigued breast cancer survivors, stages 0–III, age 40–75.

Results

Fatigue decreased significantly in the QG/TCE group compared to control at post-intervention (p = 0.005) and 3 months follow-up (p = 0.024), but not depression and sleep quality. Improvement occurred over time for both interventions in depression and sleep quality (all p < 0.05).

Conclusions

QG/TCE showed significant improvement over time compared to SQG for fatigue, but not depression or sleep. Both QG/TCE and SQG showed improvement for two prevalent symptoms among breast cancer survivors, depression and sleep dysfunction.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Office of Women’s Health) grant number 5 U01 AT002706-03 and the Arizona Cancer Center Support Grant (P50 CA023074). Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center and the associated Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center provided additional support.

Statement of Conflict of Interest and Adherence to Ethical Standards

Linda K. Larkey, PhD; Denise J. Roe, DrPH; Karen L. Weihs, MD; Roger Jahnke, OMD; Ana Maria Lopez, MD, MPH, FACP; Carol E. Rogers, PhD, RN; Byeongsang Oh, OMD, PhD; and Jose Guillen-Rodriguez declare that they have no conflict of interest. All procedures, including the informed consent process, were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Responsible Committee on Human Experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Nursing & Health Innovation, Arizona State University, 500 N. 3rd Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA

    Linda K. Larkey PhD

  2. Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA

    Linda K. Larkey PhD

  3. Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Denise J. Roe DrPH

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Karen L. Weihs MD

  5. Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, Health Action Incorporated, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Roger Jahnke OMD

  6. Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Ana Maria Lopez MD, MPH, FACP & Jose Guillen-Rodriguez

  7. University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma, OK, USA

    Carol E. Rogers PhD, RN

  8. Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Byeongsang Oh OMD, PhD

  9. Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    Byeongsang Oh OMD, PhD

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  1. Linda K. Larkey PhD
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  2. Denise J. Roe DrPH
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  3. Karen L. Weihs MD
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  4. Roger Jahnke OMD
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  6. Carol E. Rogers PhD, RN
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  7. Byeongsang Oh OMD, PhD
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  8. Jose Guillen-Rodriguez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda K. Larkey PhD.

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Larkey, L.K., Roe, D.J., Weihs, K.L. et al. Randomized Controlled Trial of Qigong/Tai Chi Easy on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors. ann. behav. med. 49, 165–176 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-014-9645-4

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