Rummans, T.A., Clark, M.M., Sloan, J.A., Frost, M.H., Bostwick, J.M., Atherton, P.J., . . . Hanson, J. (2006). Impacting quality of life for patients with advanced cancer with a structured multidisciplinary intervention: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 24, 635–642.
Intervention consisted of structured sessions, which began with 20 minutes of conditioning exercises conducted by a physical therapist followed by an educational session with cognitive-behavioral strategies for coping with cancer and open discussion with group leaders and other participants. Sessions were balanced with didactic material, a question and answer period, sharing, reflecting, relaxation, and physical activity. Participants attended eight sessions throughout four weeks following enrollment . Intervention was delivered three days per week. After the fourth week, patients filled out quality of life questionnaires, and questionnaires were collected at 8 and 27 weeks after enrollment via mail.
Mean score for fatigue scale of the LASA was lower at week four for the intervention group in comparison to the standard care group, but this difference was not significant. No significant differences were observed between groups for the SDS and FACT measures of fatigue at week four. Although intervention may have impact on overall quality of life, no significant effects were observed on fatigue.