Sleep and Endometrial Cancer

Surgery for Endometrial Cancer: Biobehavioral Analysis of Sleep, Stress and Pain

This study proposes to test the hypothesis that zolpidem taken the night before major surgery for endometrial cancer will improve sleep efficiency and reduce post surgery pain, as well as reduce the need for analgesic medication.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Pain; Sleep; Endometrial Neoplasms
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: zolpidem; Drug: sugar pill

Detailed Description

Despite continuing improvements in surgical procedures and ancillary care, post surgery pain continues to be a nearly universal patient experience following major operative procedures. Opioids provide considerable pain relief, but they have multiple adverse side effects and are not entirely effective. For cancer patients, uncontrolled postoperative pain can have a substantial negative effect on quality of life, can slow recovery, increase the likelihood of complications, and contribute to poorer postoperative outcomes. The identification of novel modifiable patient risk factors for post surgery pain that could become the target of presurgery interventions is thus an important goal. We will conduct a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind intervention trial design to evaluate the effects of an FDA approved hypnotic (zolpidem) on post surgery pain. Since presurgery psychological factors (e.g., heightened anxiety) are known to predict the severity of post surgical pain and may be associated with poor sleep, we will also assess psychological factors (with questionnaires) as well as sleep (using actigraphy) in order to determine their individual and combined impact on women's experiences of post surgery pain in this stressful clinical context. Aim 1: To determine the impact of zolpidem administered the night prior to endometrial cancer surgery on women's experiences of pain over the initial 7-10 day follow-up period after surgery using a double-blind placebo-controlled design (final n=128). Aim 2: To investigate psychological factors on the morning before surgery, as well as objective sleep variables on the night before surgery, as possible mediators of the beneficial effects of zolpidem on post surgery pain. Aim 3: To examine psychological factors, as well as sleep variables, assessed prior to the sleep intervention as possible moderators of the ameliorative effects of zolpidem on post surgery pain. The results of the proposed exploratory study would provide the preliminary data necessary for an R01 application to support more comprehensive investigations, including explorations of biological mechanisms underlying the preventative effects of better presurgery sleep on patients' experiences of post surgery pain.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 6
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
      • Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15219
      • UPMC Mercy

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• be women at least 18 years old
• have clinical indications of primary endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the endometrium
• be scheduled for staging surgery by laparotomy under standardized protocols
• have the ability to communicate in English sufficient for completion of study materials
• have no neuromuscular/ movement disorders (for actigraphy purposes)
• have no uncontrolled medical, sleep, endocrine or psychiatric illness (as determined by their attending physician as part of clinical care)
• have no ongoing use of medication known to affect sleep or wake function (e.g., hypnotics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, decongestants, sedating antihistamines, beta blockers, corticosteroids)

Exclusion Criteria:

• have a history of previous or concomitant cancer
• have an estimated life expectancy of < 6 months
• will be admitted to the hospital prior to the day of surgery
• are unable to complete study measures
• are unable to provide meaningful informed consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: zolpidem; Participants randomized to the zolpidem (intervention) group will receive the FDA approved dose of zolpidem, (10 mg for women <65; 5 mg for women > or = 65 years). For the purposes of this double-blind trial, zolpidem (e.g., Roxane Laboratories) pills will be placed without filler inside two-piece gelatin capsules (DBcaps, Capsugel) and packaged by the Investigational Drug Service (IDS) of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. During their presurgery visit (visit 1), participants will be provided with their capsule and instructed to take it by mouth immediately before bedtime the night before surgery.	Drug: zolpidem; Participants will receive the FDA approved dose of zolpidem, (10 mg for women <65; 5 mg for women = or > 65 years) during their presurgery visit and will be instructed to take the single capsule by mouth immediately before bedtime the night before surgery.; Other Names: Ambien
Placebo Comparator: sugar pill; Participants randomized to the sugar pill (control) group will receive placebo. For the purposes of this double-blind trial, placebo (sugar) pills will be placed without filler inside two-piece gelatin capsules (DBcaps, Capsugel) and packaged by the Investigational Drug Service (IDS) of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. During their presurgery visit (visit 1), participants will be provided with their capsule and instructed to take it by mouth immediately before bedtime the night before surgery.	Drug: sugar pill; Participants will receive placebo (sugar) pills during their presurgery visit and will be instructed to take the single capsule by mouth immediately before bedtime the night before surgery.; Other Names: placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Brief Pain Inventory (Short-form)	Pain intensity and pain interference subscales from the Brief Pain Inventory (Short-form) (BPI) will be used to measure pain over the interval following surgery. Both subscales have a range of 0-10 with higher scores indicating worse outcomes (more intense pain and more pain interference).	at the clinical follow-up appointment approximately 7-10 days after surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain Severity Visual Analogue Scale	Pain severity will be assessed daily following surgery with a visual analogue scale (VAS) completed by participants each night before they go to bed (daily diary PM). VAS pain severity yields a score of 0 to 100, with 100 indicating pain "as bad as it could be."	each of the days following surgery until the clinical follow-up appointment
Daily Analgesic Medication Consumption (Morphine Equivalency)	Analgesic medication consumption will be calculated (morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD)) on a daily basis using data down loaded from the patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump supplemented by information from clinical charts and patient self report on the daily diary form. MEDD starts at zero and does not have an upper limit; higher daily doses indicate more analgesic medication consumption, and thus more pain.	daily from the day of surgery until the clinical follow-up appointment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Dana H Bovbjerg, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 8, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 9, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): July 10, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): April 24, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 4, 2014
• Last Verified: April 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain; Sleep; Endometrial Neoplasms
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Urogenital Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Uterine Neoplasms; Genital Neoplasms, Female; Uterine Diseases; Endometrial Neoplasms; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Central Nervous System Depressants; Hypnotics and Sedatives; GABA Agents; Sleep Aids, Pharmaceutical; GABA-A Receptor Agonists; GABA Agonists; Zolpidem
• Other Study ID Numbers: PRO09040160; PCI-09-027 (Other Identifier: University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute)