USA: A recent study showed Yoga Skills Training (YST) to be a promising intervention to improve depressive symptoms, fatigue, inflammation, and sleep disturbances in adults diagnosed with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer.
The study, published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management supports the feasibility of delivering YST in the clinical setting and that it can reach those having a higher symptom burden and who have not typically participated in yoga research.
In patients with gastrointestinal cancer, it becomes important to address fatigue and co-occurring symptoms during chemotherapy in order to preserve the quality of life. Considering this, Stephanie J. Sohl, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, and colleagues aimed to conduct a randomized controlled pilot study of a Yoga Skills Training (YST) intervention compared to an attention control (AC) among adults diagnosed with GI cancer.
YST comprised of four 30-minute sessions delivered individually during chemotherapy plus home practice. AC provided empathic attention plus home diaries. Patient-reported (PROMIS T-score) assessments of depressive symptoms, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and psychological stress (Perceived Stress Scale) were collected at chemotherapy visits at Week 8, Week 10, and Week 14. Inflammatory cytokines were assessed at baseline and Week 10.
Based on the analysis, the researchers found the following:
· Forty-four of 77 adults approached agreed to participate (57%; YST n = 23; AC n = 21).
· Participants' mean age was 58 years and 48% were men.
· Participants randomized to YST reported a larger decline in fatigue (-2.4 difference) and depressive symptoms (-2.5 difference) than AC participants from baseline to Week 10 and sleep disturbances at Week 8 (-3.9 difference).
· Differences in magnitude of change in symptoms were consistent with or exceeded a minimally important difference.
· Psychological stress decreased more in the AC at Week 10.
· Reductions in inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, sTNF R1) were larger in the YST group than AC.
"YST showed promise for improving depressive symptoms, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and inflammation," wrote the authors. "YST is also feasible and reaches patients underrepresented in yoga research (i.e., GI cancer, men), thus warranting further examination."
Reference:
The study titled, "A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study of Yoga Skills Training Versus an Attention Control Delivered During Chemotherapy Administration," was published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.07.022