A pilot study of yoga for breast cancer survivors: physical and psychological benefits. Pilot randomized controlled trial of individual meaning-centered psychotherapy for patients with advanced cancer. Efficacy of short-term life-review interviews on the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients. A novel approach to enhancing hope in patients with advanced cancer: a randomised phase II trial of dignity therapy Spiritual Therapy to Improve the Spiritual Well-Being of Iranian Women with Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial Spiritual history taking in palliative home care: A cluster randomized controlled trial A randomized controlled bicenter trial of yoga for patients with colorectal cancer. Health-related quality-of-life and psychological distress of young adult survivors of childhood cancer in Hong Kong. Meaning-centered group psychotherapy for patients with advanced cancer: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Effectiveness of Spiritual Group Therapy on Quality of Life and Spiritual Well-Being among Patients with Breast Cancer Yoga improves quality of life and benefit finding in women undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer. Effect of dignity therapy on distress and end-of-life experience in terminally ill patients: a randomised controlled trial. Might Massage Or Guided Meditation Provide “Means to A Better End”? Primary Outcomes from An Efficacy Trial with Patientsatthe end of Life Effects of meditation on anxiety, depression, fatigue, and quality of life of women undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer. A randomized controlled trial of meditation and massage effects on quality of life in people with late-stage disease: a pilot study. Meaning-centered group psychotherapy: an effective intervention for improving psychological well-being in patients with advanced cancer. The Efficacy of Short-Term Psycho-Oncological Interventions for Women with Gynaecological Cancer: A Randomized Study Effect of a life review program for Chinese patients with advanced cancer: a randomized controlled trial. A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Transcendental Meditation on Quality of Life in Older Breast Cancer Patients
BACKGROUND Physical activity provides a number of physical and psychological benefits to cancer survivors , including lessening the impact of detrimental cancer-related symptoms and treatment side-effects ( e.g. fatigue , nausea ) , and improving overall well-being and quality of life . The purpose of the present pilot study was to examine the physical and psychological benefits afforded by a 7-week yoga program for cancer survivors . METHOD Eligible participants ( per-screened with PAR-Q/PAR-MED-X ) were r and omly assigned to either the  intervention ( n=20 ) or control group ( n=18 ) . All participants completed pre- and post-testing assessment s immediately before and after the yoga program , respectively . RESULTS The yoga program participants ( M age=51.18 ( 10.33 ) ; 92 % female ) included primarily breast cancer survivors , on average 55.95 ( 54.39 ) months post-diagnosis . Significant differences between the intervention and the control group at post-intervention were seen only in psychosocial ( i.e. global quality of life , emotional function , and diarrhea ) variables ( all p 's < 0.05 ) . There were also trends for group differences , in the hypothesized directions , for the psychosocial variables of emotional irritability , gastrointestinal symptoms , cognitive disorganization , mood disturbance , tension , depression , and confusion ( all p 's < 0.10 ) . Finally , there were also significant improvements in both the program participants and the controls from pre- to post-intervention on a number of physical fitness variables . CONCLUSIONS These initial findings suggest that yoga has significant potential and should be further explored as a beneficial physical activity option for cancer survivors . Future research might attempt to include a broader range of participants ( e.g. other types of cancer diagnoses , male subjects ) , a larger sample size , and a longer program duration in an RCT PURPOSE Spiritual well-being and sense of meaning are important concerns for clinicians who care for patients with cancer . We developed Individual Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy ( IMCP ) to address the need for brief interventions targeting spiritual well-being and meaning for patients with advanced cancer . PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with stage III or IV cancer ( N = 120 ) were r and omly assigned to seven sessions of either IMCP or therapeutic massage ( TM ) . Patients were assessed before and after completing the intervention and 2 months postintervention . Primary outcome measures assessed spiritual well-being and quality of life ; secondary outcomes included anxiety , depression , hopelessness , symptom burden , and symptom-related distress . RESULTS Of the 120 participants r and omly assigned , 78 ( 65 % ) completed the post-treatment assessment and 67 ( 56 % ) completed the 2-month follow-up . At the post-treatment assessment , IMCP participants demonstrated significantly greater improvement than the control condition for the primary outcomes of spiritual well-being ( b = 0.39 ; P < .001 , including both components of spiritual well-being ( sense of meaning : b = 0.34 ; P = .003 and faith : b = 0.42 ; P = .03 ) , and quality of life ( b = 0.76 ; P = .013 ) . Significantly greater improvements for IMCP patients were also observed for the secondary outcomes of symptom burden ( b = -6.56 ; P < .001 ) and symptom-related distress ( b = -0.47 ; P < .001 ) but not for anxiety , depression , or hopelessness . At the 2-month follow-up assessment , the improvements observed for the IMCP group were no longer significantly greater than those observed for the TM group . CONCLUSION IMCP has clear short-term benefits for spiritual suffering and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer . Clinicians working with patients who have advanced cancer should consider IMCP as an approach to enhance quality of life and spiritual well-being CONTEXT There is a little information about effective psychotherapies to enhance the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients . OBJECTIVES The primary aim of the study was to examine the efficacy of a one-week Short-Term Life Review for the enhancement of spiritual well-being , using a r and omized controlled trial . The secondary aim was to assess the effect of this therapy on anxiety and depression , suffering , and elements of a good death . METHODS The subjects were 68 terminally ill cancer patients r and omly allocated to a Short-Term Life- Review interview group or a control group . The patients completed question naires pre- and post-treatment , including the meaning of life domain from the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual ( FACIT-Sp ) scale , the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ( HADS ) , a numeric scale for psychological suffering , and items from the Good Death Inventory ( Hope , Burden , Life Completion , and Preparation ) . RESULTS The FACIT-Sp , Hope , Life Completion , and Preparation scores in the intervention group showed significantly greater improvement compared with those of the control group ( FACIT-Sp , P<0.001 ; Hope , P<0.001 ; Life Completion , P<0.001 ; and Preparation , P<0.001 ) . HADS , Burden , and Suffering scores in the intervention group also had suggested greater alleviation of suffering compared with the control group ( HADS , P<0.001 ; Burden , P<0.007 ; Suffering , P<0.001 ) . CONCLUSION We conclude that the Short-Term Life Review is effective in improving the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients , and alleviating psychosocial distress and promoting a good death Main objective To assess the ability of dignity therapy to reduce distress in advanced cancer patients . Design A phase II open-label trial . Setting Two UK National Health Service trusts . Participants 45 adults with advanced cancer . Intervention Dignity therapy : a brief palliative care psychotherapy . Methods Participants were r and omly allocated to receive the intervention plus st and ard care or st and ard care only ( control group ) . Outcomes were collected at baseline and at 1- and 4-week follow-up . Main outcome measures The primary outcome was dignity-related distress ( Palliative Dignity Inventory ) . Secondary outcomes were hope , anxiety and depression , quality of life , palliative-related outcomes , and self-reported study benefits . Results 45/188 ( 24 % ) patients responded . 27/45 ( 60 % ) participants remained at 1-week and 20/45 ( 44 % ) at 4-week follow-up . Baseline levels of distress were low . Groups did not differ in dignity-related distress at any time . An effect on only one secondary outcome was found : the intervention group reported more hope than the control group at both follow-ups . Effect sizes were medium ( partial η2=0.20 and 0.15 ) and the difference was statistically significant at 1-week follow-up ( difference in adjusted means 2.55 ; 95 % CI −4.73 to 0.36 ; p=0.02 ) . The intervention group was more positive than the control group on all the self-reported benefits ratings . Effect sizes ( Cohen 's d ) ranged from 1.34 for feeling that dignity therapy had helped to 0.31 for increasing will to live . Conclusions The effects of dignity therapy on people with advanced cancer are encouraging . Further investigation is warranted focusing on distressed patients and those earlier in the palliative care trajectory . Trial register number IS RCT N29868352 Purpose . The aim of this study was to investigate the role of spiritual therapy intervention in improving the spiritual well-being and quality of life ( QOL ) of Iranian women with breast cancer . Methods . This r and omized controlled clinical trial ( RCT ) recruited 65 women with breast cancer , r and omly assigned to a 6-week  spirituality-based intervention ( n = 34 ) or control group ( n = 31 ) . Before and after six-week spiritual therapy intervention , spiritual well-being and quality of life ( QOL ) were assessed using Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Spiritual Well-being scale ( FACIT-Sp12 ) and cancer quality -of-life question naire ( QLQ-C30 ) , respectively . t-test , Paired t-test , pearson 's correlation , and hierarchical regression analyses were used for analysis using Predictive Analytic software ( PASW , version 18 ) for Windows . Results . After six spiritual therapy sessions , the mean spiritual well-being score from 29.76 ( SD = 6.63 ) to 37.24 ( SD = 3.52 ) in the intervention group ( P < 0.001 ) . There was a significant difference between arms of study ( F = 22.91 , P < 0.001 ) . A significant positive correlation was detected between meaning and peace with all subscales of functional subscales on European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of Life ( EORTC QLQ-C30 ) ( P < 0.05 ) . Hierarchical regression analyses of participants indicated that the study arm , pain , and financial impact were significant predictors of spiritual well-being and overall QOL . Social functioning was another significant predictor of spiritual well-being . Conclusion . The results of this r and omized controlled trial study suggest that participation in spiritual therapy program is associated with improvements in spiritual well-being and QOL . Targeted interventions to acknowledge and incorporate spiritual needs into conventional treatment should be considered in caring of Iranian patients with breast cancer Background : Many health-care providers experience barriers to addressing spiritual needs , such as not having the right vocabulary . The ars moriendi model might be a feasible tool for spiritual history taking in palliative care . Aim : To investigate the effect of a structured spiritual history taking on the spiritual well-being of palliative patients in home care . Design : Cluster r and omized controlled trial , conducted between February and October 2013 . Patients and methods : Registered nurses and general practitioners approached eligible patients with an incurable , life-threatening disease for study participation . Health-care providers allocated to the intervention arm of the study took a spiritual history on the basis of the ars moriendi model . Health-care providers in the control arm provided care as usual .  Patient-reported outcomes on spiritual well-being , quality of life , pain , and patient – provider trust were assessed at two points in time . Results : A total of 245 health-care providers participated in the study ( 204 nurses and 41 physicians ) . In all , 49 patient – provider dyads completed the entire study protocol . The median age of the patients was 75 years ( range : 41–95 years ) , and 55 % of the patients were female . There were no significant differences at any point in time in the scores on spiritual well-being , quality of life , pain , or patient – provider trust between the intervention and the control group . Conclusion : This cluster r and omized controlled trial showed no demonstrable effect of spiritual history taking on patient scores for spiritual well-being , quality of life , health-care relationship trust , or pain . Further research is needed to develop instruments that accurately assess the effectiveness of spiritual interventions in palliative care population OBJECTIVE The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effects of yoga on health-related quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer . METHODS Patients with non-metastatic colorectal cancer were r and omly assigned to a 10-week yoga intervention ( 90 min once weekly ) or a waitlist control group . Primary outcome measure was disease-specific quality of life ( Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Colorectal [ FACT-C ] ) at week 10 . Secondary outcome measures included FACT-C subscales : spiritual well-being ( FACT - Spirituality ) ; fatigue ( FACT - Fatigue ) ; sleep disturbances ( Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory ) ; depression and anxiety ( Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ) ; body awareness ( Scale of Body Connection ) ; and body-efficacy expectations ( Body-Efficacy Expectations Scale ) . Outcomes were assessed at week 10 and week 22 after r and omization . RESULTS Fifty-four patients ( mean age 68.3 ± 9.7 years ) were r and omized to  yoga  ( n = 27 ; attrition rate 22.2 % ) and control group ( n = 27 ; attrition rate 18.5 % ) . Patients in the yoga group attended a mean of 5.3 ± 4.0 yoga classes . No significant group differences for the FACT-C total score were found . Group differences were found for emotional well-being at week 22 ( ∆ = 1.59 ; 95 % CI = 0.27,2.90 ; p = 0.019 ) , sleep disturbances at week 22 ( ∆ = -1.08 ; 95 % CI = -2.13 , -0.03 ; p = 0.043 ) , anxiety at week 10 ( ∆ = -1.14 ; 95 % CI = -2.20 , -0.09 ; p = 0.043 ) , and depression at week 10 ( ∆ = -1.34 ; 95 % CI = -2.61 , -0.8 ; p = 0.038 ) . No serious adverse events occurred in the yoga group , while liver metastases were diagnosed in one patient in the control group . CONCLUSION This r and omized trial found no effects of yoga on health-related quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer . Given the high attrition rate and low intervention adherence , no definite conclusions can be drawn from this trial BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Previous literature s on young adult survivors of childhood cancer show inconsistent findings with regards to their psychological distress and health-related quality of life ( HRQOL ) . Much of the available data focus on negative patient outcomes following cancer treatments prescribed from 1970 to 1990 . In the present study , HRQOL and psychological distress of young adult survivors in Hong Kong was examined . It focused on subjects who had received cancer treatments prescribed in the last two decades . METHODS A structured telephone survey was conducted with 614 eligible survivors and 208 sibling controls in Hong Kong . RESULTS The survivors reported significantly lower mean scores in physical role and functioning , whereas their mental , social , and psychological well-being was similar to that of their sibling controls . Being female , older age , longer survival time , and specific cancer diagnoses were the factors associated with poorer physical and mental adaptation . HRQOL was negatively correlated with psychological distress . CONCLUSIONS Findings of the study suggest that most survivors adjusted fairly well in mental , psychological , and social aspects . Survivors with a higher risk of poor HRQOL could benefit from appropriate screening and counseling at an early stage to mitigate their survivorship difficulties . Prospect i ve follow-up studies on childhood cancer survivors are recommended to detect changes over longer survival periods OBJECTIVES An increasingly important concern for clinicians who care for patients at the end of life is their spiritual well-being and sense of meaning and purpose in life . In response to the need for short-term interventions to address spiritual well-being , we developed Meaning Centered Group Psychotherapy ( MCGP ) to help patients with advanced cancer sustain or enhance a sense of meaning , peace and purpose in their lives , even as they approach the end of life . METHODS Patients with advanced ( stage III or IV ) solid tumor cancers ( N=90 ) were r and omly assigned to either MCGP or a supportive group psychotherapy ( SGP ) . Patients were assessed before and after completing the 8-week intervention , and again 2 months after completion . Outcome assessment included measures of spiritual well-being , meaning , hopelessness , desire for death , optimism/pessimism , anxiety , depression and overall quality of life . RESULTS MCGP result ed in significantly greater improvements in spiritual well-being and a sense of meaning . Treatment gains were even more substantial ( based on effect size estimates ) at the second follow-up assessment . Improvements in anxiety and desire for death were also significant ( and increased over time ) . There was no significant improvement on any of these variables for patients participating in SGP . CONCLUSIONS MCGP appears to be a potentially beneficial intervention for patients ' emotional and spiritual suffering at the end of life . Further research , with larger sample s , is clearly needed to better underst and the potential benefits of this novel intervention Cancer is deemed the century ’s major health problem , and its increasing growth during the last decades has made experts concerned more than ever . Of all types of cancer , breast cancer is regarded as the second most common disease among women . The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of spiritual group therapy on quality of life and spiritual well-being among patients suffering from breast cancer . The present research was carried out between March and June 2011 . The sample consisted of 24 participants r and omly assigned to 2 groups : an experimental group ( n , 12 ) and a control group ( n , 12 ) . All the subjects completed question naires on quality of life and spiritual well-being in pretest and posttest . The experimental group received 12 sessions of spiritual group therapy . The results demonstrated improvement in quality of life and spiritual well-being in the experimental group . In conclusion , spiritual group therapy can be used to improve quality of life and spiritual well-being ( religious health and existential health ) among patients with breast cancer This study examined the effects of yoga on quality of life ( QOL ) and psychosocial outcomes in women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy . Sixty-one women were r and omly assigned to either a yoga or a wait-list group . Yoga classes were taught biweekly during the 6 weeks of radiotherapy . Participants completed measures of QOL , fatigue , benefit finding ( finding meaning in the cancer experience ) , intrusive thoughts , sleep disturbances , depressive symptoms , and anxiety before radiotherapy and then again 1 week , 1 month , and 3 months after the end of radiotherapy . General linear model analyses revealed that compared to the control group , the yoga group reported significantly better general health perception ( p = .005 ) and physical functioning scores ( p = .04 ) 1 week postradiotherapy ; higher levels of intrusive thoughts 1 month postradiotherapy ( p = .01 ) ; and greater benefit finding 3 months postradiotherapy ( p = .01 ) . There were no other group differences in other QOL subscales for fatigue , depression , or sleep scores . Exploratory analyses indicated that intrusive thoughts 1 month after radiotherapy were significantly positively correlated with benefit finding 3 months after radiotherapy ( r = .36 , p = .011 ) . Our results indicated that the yoga program was associated with statistically and clinical ly significant improvements in aspects of QOL BACKGROUND Dignity therapy is a unique , individualised , short-term psychotherapy that was developed for patients ( and their families ) living with life-threatening or life-limiting illness . We investigated whether dignity therapy could mitigate distress or bolster the experience in patients nearing the end of their lives . METHODS Patients ( aged ≥18 years ) with a terminal prognosis ( life expectancy ≤6 months ) who were receiving palliative care in a hospital or community setting ( hospice or home ) in Canada , USA , and Australia were r and omly assigned to dignity therapy , client-centred care , or st and ard palliative care in a 1:1:1 ratio . R and omisation was by use of a computer-generated table of r and om numbers in blocks of 30 . Allocation concealment was by use of opaque sealed envelopes . The primary outcomes --reductions in various dimensions of distress before and after completion of the study --were measured with the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Spiritual Well-Being Scale , Patient Dignity Inventory , Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale , items from the Structured Interview for Symptoms and Concerns , Quality of Life Scale , and modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale . Secondary outcomes of self-reported end-of-life experiences were assessed in a survey that was undertaken after the completion of the study . Outcomes were assessed by research staff with whom the participant had no previous contact to avoid any possible response bias or contamination . Analyses were done on all patients with available data at baseline and at the end of the study intervention . This study is registered with Clinical Trials.gov , number NCT00133965 . FINDINGS 165 of 441 patients were assigned  to dignity therapy , 140 st and ard palliative care , and 136 client-centred care . 108 , 111 , and 107 patients , respectively , were analysed . No significant differences were noted in the distress levels before and after completion of the study in the three groups . For the secondary outcomes , patients reported that dignity therapy was significantly more likely than the other two interventions to have been helpful ( χ(2)=35·50 , df=2 ; p<0·0001 ) , improve quality of life ( χ(2)=14·52 ; p=0·001 ) , increase sense of dignity ( χ(2)=12·66 ; p=0·002 ) , change how their family saw and appreciated them ( χ(2)=33·81 ; p<0·0001 ) , and be helpful to their family ( χ(2)=33·86 ; p<0·0001 ) . Dignity therapy was significantly better than client-centred care  in improving spiritual wellbeing ( χ(2)=10·35 ; p=0·006 ) , and was significantly better than st and ard palliative care in terms of lessening sadness or depression ( χ(2)=9·38 ; p=0·009 ) ; significantly more patients who had received dignity therapy reported that the study group had been satisfactory , compared with those who received st and ard palliative care ( χ(2)=29·58 ; p<0·0001 ) . INTERPRETATION Although the ability of dignity therapy to mitigate outright distress , such as depression , desire for death or suicidality , has yet to be proven , its benefits in terms of self-reported end-of-life experiences support its clinical application for patients nearing death . FUNDING National Cancer Institute , National Institutes of Health This article reports findings from a r and omized controlled trial of massage and guided meditation with patients at the end of life . Using data from 167 r and omized patients , the authors considered patient outcomes through 10 weeks post-enrolment , as well as next-of-kin ratings of the quality of the final week of life for 106 patients who died during study participation . Multiple regression models demonstrated no significant treatment effects of either massage or guided meditation , delivered up to twice a week , when compared with outcomes of an active control group that received visits from hospice-trained volunteers on a schedule similar to that of the active treatment arms . The authors discuss the implication s of their findings for integration of these complementary and alternative medicine therapies into st and ard hospice care OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of meditation on anxiety , depression , fatigue , and quality of life in women who are receiving radiation therapy for breast cancer . DESIGN R and omized , non-program controlled , parallel intervention clinical trial . SETTING The ASAN Cancer Center located in Seoul , Korea . INTERVENTION The subjects of this study included 102 female breast cancer patients who had undergone breast-conserving surgery ; these female patients were r and omized into equally assigned meditation control groups , with each group consisting of 51 patients . The test group received a total of 12 meditation therapy sessions during their 6-week radiation therapy period , and the control group underwent only a conventional radiation therapy . OUTCOME The tools used to evaluate the effects of meditation were Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale , Revised Piper Fatigue scale , and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer- Quality of Life Core-30 . The results were analyzed based on the principles of intention-to-treat analysis , and , as a corollary analysis , per- protocol analysis was conducted . RESULTS The breast cancer patients who received meditation therapy compared with the non-intervention group saw improvements in reduction of anxiety ( p=.032 ) , fatigue ( p=.030 ) , and improvement in global quality of life ( p=.028 ) . CONCLUSIONS Based on the results of this study , an affirmation can be made that meditation can be used as a non-invasive intervention treatment for improving fatigue , anxiety , quality of life , and emotional faculties of women with breast cancer CONTEXT Certain meditation practice s may effectively address spiritual needs near end-of-life , an often overlooked aspect of quality of life ( QOL ) . Among people subject to physical isolation , meditation benefits may be blunted unless physical contact is also addressed . OBJECTIVE To evaluate independent and interactive effects of Metta meditation and massage on QOL in people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS ) . DESIGN R and omized controlled blinded factorial pilot trial conducted from November 2001 to September 2003 . SETTING An AIDS-dedicated skilled nursing facility in New Haven , Connecticut . PARTICIPANTS Fifty-eight residents ( 43 % women ) with late stage disease ( AIDS or comorbidity ) . INTERVENTIONS Residents were r and omized to 1 month of meditation , massage , combined meditation and massage , or st and ard care . The meditation group received instruction , then self-administered a meditation audiocassette daily . A certified massage therapist provided the massage intervention 30 minutes per day 5 days per week . OUTCOME MEASURE Changes on Missoula-Vitas QOL Index overall and transcendent ( spiritual ) scores at 8 weeks . RESULTS The combined group showed improvement in overall ( p = 0.005 ) and transcendent ( p = 0.01 ) scores from baseline to 8 weeks , a change significantly greater ( p < 0.05 ) than the meditation , massage , and control groups . CONCLUSIONS The combination of meditation and massage has a significantly favorable influence on overall and spiritual QOL in late-stage disease relative to st and ard care , or either intervention component alone PURPOSE To test the efficacy of meaning-centered group psychotherapy ( MCGP ) to reduce psychological distress and improve spiritual well-being in patients with advanced or terminal cancer . PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with advanced cancer ( N = 253 ) were r and omly assigned to manualized eight-session interventions of either MCGP or supportive group psychotherapy ( SGP ) . Patients were assessed before and after completing the treatment and 2 months after treatment . The primary outcome measures were spiritual well-being and overall quality of life , with secondary outcome measures assessing depression , hopelessness , desire for hastened death , anxiety , and physical symptom distress . RESULTS Hierarchical linear models that included a priori covariates and only participants who attended ≥ three sessions indicated a significant group × time interaction for most outcome variables . Specifically , patients receiving MCGP showed significantly greater improvement in spiritual well-being and quality of life and significantly greater reductions in depression , hopelessness , desire for hastened death , and physical symptom distress compared with those receiving SGP . No group differences were observed for changes in anxiety . Analyses that included all patients , regardless of whether they attended any treatment sessions ( ie , intent-to-treat analyses ) , and no covariates still showed significant treatment effects ( ie , greater benefit for patients receiving MCGP v SGP ) for quality of life , depression , and hopelessness but not for other outcome variables . CONCLUSION This large r and omized controlled study provides strong support for the efficacy of MCGP as a treatment for psychological and existential or spiritual distress in patients with advanced cancer Objectives : We aim ed to examine the efficacy of two psycho-oncological interventions in  anxiety , depression , and self-perceived as well as physiological stress in in patients with gynaecological cancer . Methods : Forty-five women were included in the trial . Thirty-five were categorized as being at high risk of anxiety and depression , and were r and omized to either a single psycho-oncological therapy session or a single-session relaxation intervention . Results : A significant decrease in anxiety [ mean ( t₀ ) = 12 , mean ( t1 ) = 7.47 , p = 0.001 ] and depression [ mean ( t₀ ) = 9.71 , mean ( t1 ) = 6.35 , p < 0.001 ] was observed in the psycho-oncological intervention group . In the relaxation group , anxiety also significantly decreased [ mean ( t₀ ) = 11.67 , mean ( t1 ) = 8.22 , p = 0.003 ] , whereas depression did not . A comparative analysis of both interventions showed a trend in favour of psycho-oncological therapy for the treatment of depression ( F = 3.3 , p = 0.078 ) . However , self-reported stress ( p = 0.031 ) and different objective stress parameters only significantly decreased in the relaxation group . Conclusions : Psycho-oncological interventions should represent an essential part of interdisciplinary care for gynaecological cancer patients . Both types of intervention may reduce anxiety . However , the single psycho-oncological therapy session might be slightly more effective in treating depression , whereas the single-session relaxation intervention seems to have a stronger effect on physiological stress parameters BACKGROUND Empirical data suggest that life review is an effective psychospiritual intervention . However , it has not been applied to Chinese patients with advanced cancer , and its effects on this population remain unknown . OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to determine the effect of a life review program on quality of life among Chinese patients with advanced cancer . METHODS In this prospect i ve r and omized controlled trial , a total of 80 patients were r and omly assigned to the life review program group and the control group . The 3-weekly life review program included review ing a life and formulating a life review booklet . Outcome data were assessed by a collector who was blinded to group assignment before and immediately after the program and at a 3-week follow-up . RESULTS Significantly better scores in overall quality of life , support , negative emotions , sense of alienation , existential distress , and value of life were found in the life review group immediately after the program and at the 3-week follow-up . CONCLUSION This study provides additional data on the potential role of a life review in improving quality of life , particularly psychospiritual well being ; it also indicates that the life review program could enable Chinese patients with advanced cancer to express their views on life and death . IMPLICATION S FOR PRACTICE The life review program offers advanced cancer patients an opportunity to integrate their whole life experiences and discuss end-of-life issues , which lays the ground for further active intervention in their psychospiritual distress . The program could be integrated into daily home care to enhance the psychospiritual well-being of Chinese patients with advanced cancer This single-blind , r and omized controlled trial evaluated the impact of the Transcendental Meditation program plus st and ard care as compared with st and ard care alone on the quality of life ( QOL ) of older women ( ≥55 years ) with stage II to IV breast cancer . One hundred and thirty women ( mean age = 63.8 ) were r and omly assigned to either experimental ( n = 64 ) or control ( n = 66 ) groups . Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy — Breast ( FACT-B ) , Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy— Spiritual Well-Being ( FACIT-SP ) , and Short-Form (SF)-36 mental health and vitality scales were administered every 6 months over an average 18-month intervention period . Significant improvements were found in the Transcendental Meditation group compared with controls in overall QOL , measured by the FACT-B total score ( P = .037 ) , emotional well-being ( P = .046 ) , and social well-being ( P = .003 ) subscales , and SF-36 mental health ( P = .017 ) . Results indicate that the Transcendental Meditation technique improves the QOL of older breast cancer patients . It is recommended that this stress reduction program , with its ease of implementation and home practice , be adopted in public health programs
Background : Terminal illness not only causes physical suffering but also spiritual distress .
Spiritual care has been widely implemented by healthcare professionals to assist patients coping with spiritual distress .
However , the effects of spiritual care need to be clear .
Aim : To evaluate the effects of spiritual care on quality of life and spiritual well-being among patients with terminal illness .