Influence of a Multidisciplinary Program of Diet Exercise andMindfulness on the Quality of Life of Stage IIA-IIB Breast CancerSurvivors

摘要

Integrative oncology has proven to be a useful approachto control cancer symptoms and improve the quality of life (QoL) and overallhealth of patients, delivering integrated patient care at both physical andemotional levels. The objective of this randomized trial was to evaluate theeffects of a triple intervention program on the QoL and lifestyle of women withbreast cancer. Seventy-five survivors of stage IIA-IIBbreast cancer were randomized into 2 groups. The intervention group (IG)received a 6-month dietary, exercise, and mindfulness program that was notoffered to the control group (CG). Data were gathered at baseline and at 6months postintervention on QoL and adherence to Mediterranean diet usingclinical markers and validated questionnaires. Between-group differences atbaseline and 3 months postintervention were analyzed using Student’s test for related samples and the Wilcoxon andMann-Whitney tests. At 6 monthspostintervention, the IG showed significant improvements versus CG in physicalfunctioning ( = .027), role functioning ( =.028), and Mediterranean diet adherence ( = .02) and asignificant reduction in body mass index ( = .04) and weight( = .05), with a mean weight loss of 0.7 kg versus a gainof 0.55 kg by the CG ( = .05). Dyspnea symptoms were alsoincreased in the CG versus IG ( = .066). These results demonstrate that an integrativedietary, physical activity, and mindfulness program enhances the QoL and healthylifestyle of stage IIA-IIB breast cancer survivors. Cancer symptoms may bebetter managed by the implementation of multimodal rather than isolatedinterventions.