This preprint is under consideration at BMC Palliative Care. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research Article
Seng-Beng Tan
Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur
Corresponding Author
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background:
Patients with haematological cancer had considerable symptom burden, in which fatigue was the most prevalent. Almost 70% of haematological cancer patients reported fatigue.
Methods:
We conducted a parallel-group, non-blinded, randomised control trial at the haemato-oncology unit of University Malaya Medical Centre, from 1st October 2019 to 31st May 2020. Patients included were ≥ 18 years, had histopathological diagnosis of haematological cancer, and fatigue score of ≥ 4 based on the fatigue subscale of Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). Patients allocated to the intervention group received standard care plus a guided 30-minute mindful breathing session, while those in control group received standard care. The study outcomes include fatigue severity according to the fatigue subscale of ESAS, visual analogue scale of 0 – 10, and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale Version 4, at minute 0 and minute 30.
Results:
Of 197 patients screened, 80 were eligible and they were equally randomised into 30-minute mindful breathing versus standard care. Lymphoma (58.9%) was the commonest haematological malignancy, followed by multiple myeloma (13.8%), acute leukaemia (11.3%), myeloproliferative neoplasm (6.3%), chronic leukaemia (5.0%) and myelodysplastic syndrome (5.0%). There was no difference in the demographic and clinical characteristics between the 2 groups.
At minute 0, both arms of patients had similar ESAS-fatigue score (median, 5) and FACIT-fatigue score (mean ± SD, 24.7 ± 10.6 for intervention group versus 24.7 ± 9.7 for control group). At minute 30, intervention group had lower ESAS-fatigue score (median, 3 versus 5) and FACIT-fatigue score (mean ± SD, 17.1 ± 10.5 versus 24.8 ± 11.3) compared to control group. Both the ESAS-fatigue score reduction (median, -2 versus 0, p = 0.002) and FACIT-fatigue score reduction (mean ± SD, -6.7 versus +0.8; p < 0.001) for the intervention group were statistically significant. The calculated effect size Cohen’s d was 1.4 for between-group comparison of differences in total FACIT-fatigue score.
Conclusions:
Our results provide evidence that a single session of 30-minute mindful breathing was effective in reducing fatigue in haematological cancer patients. On top of all the currently available methods, 30-minute mindful breathing can prove a valuable addition.
Keywords
Haematological cancer, fatigue, mindful breathing, Edmonton Symptom Assessment System, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale
Figure 1
No competing interests reported.
Loading...
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 27 Jan, 2021
No community comments so far
Reviews received
Received 10 Apr, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 10 Apr, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 25 Jan, 2021
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 25 Jan, 2021
Editor assigned
On 25 Jan, 2021
Editor invited
On 25 Jan, 2021
Submission checks complete
On 25 Jan, 2021
First submitted
On 07 Dec, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine
Learn more about our company.
This preprint is under consideration at BMC Palliative Care. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research Article
Seng-Beng Tan
Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur
Corresponding Author
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 27 Jan, 2021
No community comments so far
Reviews received
Received 10 Apr, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 10 Apr, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 25 Jan, 2021
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 25 Jan, 2021
Editor assigned
On 25 Jan, 2021
Editor invited
On 25 Jan, 2021
Submission checks complete
On 25 Jan, 2021
First submitted
On 07 Dec, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background:
Patients with haematological cancer had considerable symptom burden, in which fatigue was the most prevalent. Almost 70% of haematological cancer patients reported fatigue.
Methods:
We conducted a parallel-group, non-blinded, randomised control trial at the haemato-oncology unit of University Malaya Medical Centre, from 1st October 2019 to 31st May 2020. Patients included were ≥ 18 years, had histopathological diagnosis of haematological cancer, and fatigue score of ≥ 4 based on the fatigue subscale of Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). Patients allocated to the intervention group received standard care plus a guided 30-minute mindful breathing session, while those in control group received standard care. The study outcomes include fatigue severity according to the fatigue subscale of ESAS, visual analogue scale of 0 – 10, and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale Version 4, at minute 0 and minute 30.
Results:
Of 197 patients screened, 80 were eligible and they were equally randomised into 30-minute mindful breathing versus standard care. Lymphoma (58.9%) was the commonest haematological malignancy, followed by multiple myeloma (13.8%), acute leukaemia (11.3%), myeloproliferative neoplasm (6.3%), chronic leukaemia (5.0%) and myelodysplastic syndrome (5.0%). There was no difference in the demographic and clinical characteristics between the 2 groups.
At minute 0, both arms of patients had similar ESAS-fatigue score (median, 5) and FACIT-fatigue score (mean ± SD, 24.7 ± 10.6 for intervention group versus 24.7 ± 9.7 for control group). At minute 30, intervention group had lower ESAS-fatigue score (median, 3 versus 5) and FACIT-fatigue score (mean ± SD, 17.1 ± 10.5 versus 24.8 ± 11.3) compared to control group. Both the ESAS-fatigue score reduction (median, -2 versus 0, p = 0.002) and FACIT-fatigue score reduction (mean ± SD, -6.7 versus +0.8; p < 0.001) for the intervention group were statistically significant. The calculated effect size Cohen’s d was 1.4 for between-group comparison of differences in total FACIT-fatigue score.
Conclusions:
Our results provide evidence that a single session of 30-minute mindful breathing was effective in reducing fatigue in haematological cancer patients. On top of all the currently available methods, 30-minute mindful breathing can prove a valuable addition.
Figure 1
Loading...