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A randomized controlled trial of a support group intervention on the quality of life and fatigue in women after primary treatment for early breast cancer

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Abstract

Background

When diagnosed with breast cancer, most women’s lives change as well as their perspectives on and appreciation of life. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether psychosocial support intervention could influence health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and fatigue during the first year after diagnosis.

Material and methods

Of 382 patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, 191 patients were randomized to an intervention group and 191 patients were randomized to a routine control group. The intervention group received support intervention that lasted 1 week on a residential basis, followed by 4 days of follow-up 2 months later. The support intervention included informative educational parts, relaxation training, mental visualization, and nonverbal communication. HRQOL was measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires and fatigue with the Norwegian version of the fatigue scale at baseline and at 2, 6, and 12 months after intervention.

Result

There was a time-dependent improvement in both functional and symptom scales between baseline and 12 months as measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30 and BR23 questionnaires and there was a decrease in fatigue between baseline and after 2 months with further improvement up to 12 months in both groups, but there were no differences between the intervention and control groups at any point in time.

Conclusion

HRQOL improves and symptoms of fatigue decrease over time, but we could not see any additional effect from the rehabilitation program in this setting.

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Acknowledgements

The study was funded by grants from the County Council of Västmanland, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Västmanland Research Fund against Cancer, and the National Federation of Cancer and Traffic Injury.

Conflict interest

None of the authors have declared any conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology, Central Hospital, Västerås, Sweden

    Helena Granstam Björneklett & Henry Letocha

  2. Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden

    Christina Lindemalm

  3. Centre for Clinical Research, Uppsala University, Central Hospital, 721 89, Västerås, Sweden

    Helena Granstam Björneklett, Marja-Leena Ojutkangas & Leif Bergkvist

  4. Karolinska Institute, SSH, Stockholm, Sweden

    Peter Strang

  5. Department of Surgery, Central Hospital, Västerås, Sweden

    Leif Bergkvist

  6. Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    Anders Berglund

Authors
  1. Helena Granstam Björneklett
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  2. Christina Lindemalm
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  4. Anders Berglund
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Correspondence to Helena Granstam Björneklett.

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Björneklett, H.G., Lindemalm, C., Ojutkangas, ML. et al. A randomized controlled trial of a support group intervention on the quality of life and fatigue in women after primary treatment for early breast cancer. Support Care Cancer 20, 3325–3334 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-012-1480-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-012-1480-1

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