Women With Breast Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy: Implications in Quality of Life

NCT ID: NCT03585218

Last Updated: 2021-08-05

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

112 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2017-03-06

Study Completion Date

2019-04-04

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Breast cancer is a major public health problem and is the main cancer disease in women worldwide and in Europe. In Portugal it is the most common cancer, the third cause of cancer death, following the European trend.

Breast cancer (BC) triggers a myriad of physical and psychosocial stressors with repercussions on quality of life (QoL). This study is a pioneering Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) in Portugal, which seeks to study the impact of a hedonic aroma during chemotherapy on women with breast cancer (3, 6 and 9 weeks, and 3 months after completion of chemotherapy). To this end, participants will be randomly assigned to one of the groups. The experimental group (EG) will be exposed to chemotherapy together with a hedonic aroma, while the control group (CG) will only be exposed to chemotherapy. Both groups will be assessed on psychological morbidity, illness perception, self-efficacy for coping, executive function, cortisol levels, side-effects, beliefs about chemotherapy and QoL.

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of a hedonic aroma on the clinical, emotional and neurocognitive variables that contribute to reducing the side effects of chemotherapy and promoting QoL in women with BC.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

The sample is non-probabilistic, consisting of 56 participants in the control group (CG) and 56 in the experimental group (EG). According to the calculations made for RCT studies (Noordzij et al., 2010), it will take approximately a total of 100 participants (50 participants per group) to detect a 10-point difference between the groups in the result variable QoL (e.g. EORCT QLQ-C30), with a population standard deviation of 15.43, according to previous study data (Lua et al., 2015), assuming a power of 90% and a significance level of 5%.

This study contemplates four moments of evaluation: T1 (baseline: 2nd Cycle of CT but before intervention), T2 (6 weeks - 3rd Cycle), T3 (9 weeks - 4th Cycle) and T4 (3 months after the end of the CT). These moments were chosen taking into account the classes of drugs used in the CT. Each cycle has an interval of 21. This is a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) being single blind (the participant does not know which group he belongs to, only the investigator) and longitudinal.

Intervention procedure:

From the 2nd. Chemotherapy cycle (T1), the GC received the standard chemotherapy treatment; while the EG, in addition to the standard chemotherapy treatment, inhaled a hedonic aroma selected at the time of the chemotherapy (among three types of essential oils: bergamot, exotic verbena and geranium). The participant, as she received the CT, would inhale the aroma in a phased manner and under the supervision of the researcher, until the end of the treatment (about two hours). This intervention took place over three cycles of CT (2nd, 3rd and 4th Cycles). Inhalation was carried out using cotton rolls impregnated with the selected oil, since the more directly the odoriferous molecules are applied to the nose, the greater their impact into the organism (Schneider, 2016). However, since it was necessary that the researcher supervised the participants during the inhalation process, the number of times the researcher was in contact with participants from both groups (GC and EG) were the same: 4 times during the chemotherapy treatment to assure the participants from the EG would not have more contacts what could bias the results.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Breast Cancer Female

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

On each moment of data collection, the researcher will apply the evaluation protocol to the participant regardless of the group and before chemotherapy treatment. Regarding the psychophysiological variable, each participant's saliva will be collected using salivettes®, while cortisol concentrations will be analyzed through ELISA kits. At the time of the sample collection, before the CT, the participant who accepted to participate and fulfilled the inclusion criteria will be provided with three salivettes and an explanatory leaflet so that, on the day before the 2nd Cycle, they can collect their own saliva, around 23h, and on the day of CT, on waking up and thirty minutes after, fasting. This process will be replicated throughout the remaining evaluation moments. Subsequently, it is also our goal to evaluate the cortisol levels to CT by performing one collection of saliva before and another thirty minutes after CT.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants
When a participant is eligible, according to the inclusion criteria, she is allocated to one of the groups in a 1:1 ratio. The randomization assignment was placed in sealed envelopes and assigned before chemotherapy (CT).

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Experimental Group

The Experimental Group participants will be submitted to the inhalation of the hedonic aroma during the chemotherapeutic treatment, this being the intervention of the study.The control group is not subject to intervention.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Inhalation of essential oils

Intervention Type BIOLOGICAL

Intervention "Inhalation of essential oils": From the T1 (2nd Cycle CT), Experimental Group Arms will undergo the inhalation of the hedonic aroma selected by them at the time of chemotherapy (among several types of aromas). It is intended that the participant, when receiving the CT, inhales the aroma phase-in and under the investigator's observation until the end of the treatment (about two hours). The inhalation of essential oils will occur using cotton rolls impregnated with the selected oil. The control group is not subject to intervention during chemotherapy treatment.

Control Group

The control group is not subject to intervention.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Inhalation of essential oils

Intervention "Inhalation of essential oils": From the T1 (2nd Cycle CT), Experimental Group Arms will undergo the inhalation of the hedonic aroma selected by them at the time of chemotherapy (among several types of aromas). It is intended that the participant, when receiving the CT, inhales the aroma phase-in and under the investigator's observation until the end of the treatment (about two hours). The inhalation of essential oils will occur using cotton rolls impregnated with the selected oil. The control group is not subject to intervention during chemotherapy treatment.

Intervention Type BIOLOGICAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* women with BC in stages 0-2;
* level 0-2 on the Zubrod scale,
* without cognitive impairment,
* adjuvant chemotherapy (AQ) treatment.

Exclusion Criteria

* Severe mental disturbance;
* olfactory impairment (≤6), evaluated before CT through the instrument smell diskettes and only in the EG participants
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Minho

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Marta Alexandra Marques Pereira

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Marta Pereira, Master

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Minho

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

António Fradão

Viana do Castelo, Estrada de Santa Luzia, Portugal

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Portugal

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Aaronson NK, Ahmedzai S, Bergman B, Bullinger M, Cull A, Duez NJ, Filiberti A, Flechtner H, Fleishman SB, de Haes JC, et al. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30: a quality-of-life instrument for use in international clinical trials in oncology. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993 Mar 3;85(5):365-76. doi: 10.1093/jnci/85.5.365.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8433390 (View on PubMed)

Apolinario D, Braga Rde C, Magaldi RM, Busse AL, Campora F, Brucki S, Lee SY. Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Portuguese-speaking Adults. Rev Saude Publica. 2012 Aug;46(4):702-11. doi: 10.1590/s0034-89102012005000047. Epub 2012 Jul 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22782124 (View on PubMed)

Broadbent E, Petrie KJ, Main J, Weinman J. The brief illness perception questionnaire. J Psychosom Res. 2006 Jun;60(6):631-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2005.10.020.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16731240 (View on PubMed)

Cavaco S, Goncalves A, Pinto C, Almeida E, Gomes F, Moreira I, Fernandes J, Teixeira-Pinto A. Trail Making Test: regression-based norms for the Portuguese population. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2013 Mar;28(2):189-98. doi: 10.1093/arclin/acs115. Epub 2013 Jan 7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23299183 (View on PubMed)

Figueiras M, Marcelino DS, Claudino A, Cortes MA, Maroco J, Weinman J. Patients' illness schemata of hypertension: the role of beliefs for the choice of treatment. Psychol Health. 2010 Apr;25(4):507-17. doi: 10.1080/08870440802578961.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20204931 (View on PubMed)

Heitzmann CA, Merluzzi TV, Jean-Pierre P, Roscoe JA, Kirsh KL, Passik SD. Assessing self-efficacy for coping with cancer: development and psychometric analysis of the brief version of the Cancer Behavior Inventory (CBI-B). Psychooncology. 2011 Mar;20(3):302-12. doi: 10.1002/pon.1735.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20878830 (View on PubMed)

Lee SY, Stucky BD, Lee JY, Rozier RG, Bender DE. Short Assessment of Health Literacy-Spanish and English: a comparable test of health literacy for Spanish and English speakers. Health Serv Res. 2010 Aug;45(4):1105-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2010.01119.x. Epub 2010 May 24.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20500222 (View on PubMed)

Mitchell AJ, Baker-Glenn EA, Granger L, Symonds P. Can the Distress Thermometer be improved by additional mood domains? Part I. Initial validation of the Emotion Thermometers tool. Psychooncology. 2010 Feb;19(2):125-33. doi: 10.1002/pon.1523.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19296462 (View on PubMed)

Noordzij M, Tripepi G, Dekker FW, Zoccali C, Tanck MW, Jager KJ. Sample size calculations: basic principles and common pitfalls. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2010 May;25(5):1388-93. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfp732. Epub 2010 Jan 12.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20067907 (View on PubMed)

Horne R, Weinman J, Hankins M. The beliefs about medicines questionnaire: the development and evaluation of a new method for assessing the cognitive representation of medication. Psychology and health. 1999; 14(1): 1-24.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Oken MM, Creech RH, Tormey DC, Horton J, Davis TE, McFadden ET, Carbone PP. Toxicity and response criteria of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Am J Clin Oncol. 1982 Dec;5(6):649-55. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7165009 (View on PubMed)

Pais-Ribeiro JL, Pinto C, Santos C. Validation study of the Portuguese version of the QLC-C30-V. 3. Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças. (2008; 9(1): 89-102.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Pais-Ribeiro J, Silva I, Ferreira T, Martins A, Meneses R, Baltar M. Validation study of a Portuguese version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Psychol Health Med. 2007 Mar;12(2):225-35; quiz 235-7. doi: 10.1080/13548500500524088. English, Portuguese.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17365902 (View on PubMed)

Partington JE, Leiter RG. Partington's pathway test. Psychological Service Center Bulletin. 1949; 9-20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Schneider R. There Is Something in the Air: Testing the Efficacy of a new Olfactory Stress Relief Method (AromaStick(R)). Stress Health. 2016 Oct;32(4):411-426. doi: 10.1002/smi.2636. Epub 2015 Mar 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25787105 (View on PubMed)

Simmen D, Briner HR, Hess K. [Screening of olfaction with smell diskettes]. Laryngorhinootologie. 1999 Mar;78(3):125-30. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-996844. German.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10226979 (View on PubMed)

Sprangers MA, Groenvold M, Arraras JI, Franklin J, te Velde A, Muller M, Franzini L, Williams A, de Haes HC, Hopwood P, Cull A, Aaronson NK. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer breast cancer-specific quality-of-life questionnaire module: first results from a three-country field study. J Clin Oncol. 1996 Oct;14(10):2756-68. doi: 10.1200/JCO.1996.14.10.2756.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8874337 (View on PubMed)

Teixeira RJ, Machado JC, Faria S, Remondes-Costa S, Brandao T, Branco M, Moreira S, Pereira MG. Brief emotional screening in oncology: Specificity and sensitivity of the emotion thermometers in the Portuguese cancer population. Palliat Support Care. 2020 Feb;18(1):39-46. doi: 10.1017/S1478951519000208.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31164179 (View on PubMed)

Wechsler D. Escala de Inteligência de Wechsler para Adultos-Terceira Edição [Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition] (WAIS-III). Lisboa: Cegoc. 2008

Reference Type BACKGROUND

West HJ, Jin JO. JAMA Oncology Patient Page. Performance Status in Patients With Cancer. JAMA Oncol. 2015 Oct;1(7):998. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2015.3113. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26335750 (View on PubMed)

Zigmond AS, Snaith RP. The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1983 Jun;67(6):361-70. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1983.tb09716.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 6880820 (View on PubMed)

Pereira MG, Pedras S, Machado JC. Validation of the questionnaire of beliefs towards medicines in type 2 diabetic patients. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa. 2013; 29: 229-236.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Pereira M, Moreira CS, Izdebski P, Dias ACP, Nogueira-Silva C, Pereira MG. How Does Hedonic Aroma Impact Long-Term Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life in Women with Breast Cancer? A Cross-Lagged Panel Model Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 28;19(15):9260. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159260.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 35954612 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

175519021995

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

One-day Mind Programme for Women With Breast Cancer
NCT06852833 ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING NA