Positive Health Online

Abstract

BAHÇACI and COLLEAGUES,  (1)Graduate School of Health Sciences, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey; (2)Faculty of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey; (3)Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Bilim University, Istanbul, Turkey; (4)Department of Oncology, Gayrettepe Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; (5)Department of General Surgery, Memorial Etiler Health Center, Istanbul, Turkey; (6)Breast Health Center, Istanbul Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey note that although Aromatase inhibitors have positive impacts on the disease-free life of patients with breast cancer, their side effects, especially arthralgia, may be experienced by many patients. The authors conducted a single-blind randomization study to assess the efficacy of Progressive Relaxation Exercises on the prevalent side effects of Aromatase Inhibitors in patients with breast cancer.

Background

Aromatase inhibitors have positive impacts on the disease-free life of patients with breast cancer. However, their side effects, especially arthralgia, may be experienced by many patients. This study sought to assess the efficacy of Progressive Relaxation Exercises on the prevalent side effects of Aromatase Inhibitors in patients with breast cancer.

Methodology

This clinical trial was conducted with single-blind randomization at a physiotherapy department in a local hospital. Patients who received Aromatase Inhibitor were assigned at random to either the study or control group. The study group (n = 22) performed a Progressive Relaxation Exercises program four days a week for six weeks, while the control group (n = 22) received advice on relaxation for daily life. Data was collected before the intervention and after six weeks. The study's primary endpoint was the Brief Pain Inventory, which was used to measure pain severity. Secondary endpoints included assessments of quality of life and emotional status, which were measured using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy and Hospital Anxiety and Depression scales, respectively.

Results

The study group exhibited a significant reduction in Pain Severity (p = 0.001) and Pain Interference (p = 0.012) sub-scores. Reduction in Pain Severity (p<0.001) and Patient Pain Experience (p = 0.003) sub-scores was also noted between the groups. Quality of Life and Emotional Status showed no significant variation both within and between the groups (p>0.05).

Conclusion

The study demonstrated that Progressive Relaxation Exercises caused a significant reduction in pain scores among Breast Cancer patients receiving Aromatase Inhibitors. While a decrease in pain during the 6-week period is valuable data, it is necessary to monitor the long-term effects of relaxation techniques. Copyright: © 2024 Bahçacı et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Conflict of interest statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

References

Bahçacı U(1), Atasavun Uysal S(2), Erdogan İyigün Z(3), Ordu Ç(4), Soybir GR(5), Ozmen V(6). Progressive relaxation training in patients with breast cancer receiving  aromatase inhibitor therapy-randomized controlled trial. PLoS One.;19(4):e0301020. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301020. . Apr 18 2024. eCollection 2024.