Eurythmy Therapy (ERYT) as a Treatment Option for Fatigue in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients (ERYT)

Cancer related fatigue (CRF) is the most burdening symptom in breast cancer patients, and prevalence exceeds 75% in patients with metastatic disease. CRF is described as the symptom that has the largest impact on quality of life, with negative effects on work, social activities, and daily activities, and may lead to treatment discontinuation. Currently, there is no gold standard for the treatment of CRF. Drug therapies are not satisfactory. Since physical activity is associated with significant reduction in CRF, patients are encouraged to engage in an at least moderate level of physical activity. However, for many metastatic breast cancer patients this is too burdensome. Finally, there is some evidence that non-pharmacological mind-body techniques may be beneficial in reducing CRF, yet the available data do not allow for final recommendations. Given the high prevalence of CRF and the substantial distress for patients, advancing treatment options for patients with CRF is highly desirable. In the present study, patients with metastatic breast cancer will be randomly assigned to two different non-pharmacological treatments for fatigue: Eurythmy therapy (ERYT), a standardized active mindful movement therapy, or a movement program without mindfulness features (CoordiFit). It will be tested, if ERYT has a superior benefit on fatigue compared to CoordiFit over the period of the intervention (20 weeks). Further, the benefit of ERYT on quality of life, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, pain, mobility of the arm, rate of return to work, compliance with ERYT, and targeted metabolomics will be investigated.

Both groups will have equal frequency and duration of the training sessions. Each patient will receive 13 standardized therapy sessions of 45 min (once a week for 6 weeks and once every second week) during the total period of 20 weeks. The proposed study has been developed in the Breast Cancer Project Group of the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK) and is supported by many breast centers, because they realize that the patients value non-pharmacological treatment options and would be keen to participate in such a trial. If ERYT proves to be beneficial, the impact of this trial will be high and will have implications not only for metastatic breast cancer patients but also for other cancer patients, health care personnel, scientists and funding and regulatory bodies.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Breast Cancer; Fatigue
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Eurythmy therapy; Other: CoordiFit

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 196
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Ursula Wolf, Professor; Phone Number: +41 (0)31 684 81 40; Email: ursula.wolf@unibe.ch
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Eliane Timm, Dr; Phone Number: +41 (0)31 684 81 45; Email: eliane.timm@unibe.ch

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Basel, Switzerland, 4051
    • Recruiting
    • Brustzentrum Basel Bethesda Spital
    • Contact: Cathrin Balmelli, Dr. med.
  • Basel, Switzerland, 4058
    • Terminated
    • St. Clara Forschung AG
  • Bern, Switzerland, 3010
    • Recruiting
    • University Hospital Bern
    • Contact: Manuela Rabaglio, Dr. med.; Phone Number: +41 031 632 70 43; Email: manuela.rabaglio@insel.ch
  • Bern, Switzerland, 3001
    • Recruiting
    • Engeriedspital
    • Contact: Markus Borner, Prof. Dr. med.
  • Bern, Switzerland, 3012
    • Recruiting
    • Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University of Bern
    • Contact: Ursula Wolf, Prof. Dr. med.
  • Bern, Switzerland, 3013
    • Recruiting
    • Hirslanden Bern AG, Salem-Spital, Brustzentrum Bern Biel
    • Contact: Patrizia Sager, Dr. med.
  • Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland, 8640
    • Recruiting
    • Tumorzentrum ZeTuP Rapperswil-Jona
    • Contact: Matthias Egger, Dr. med.
  • Saint Gallen, Switzerland, 9006
    • Recruiting
    • Tumor- und Brustzentrum ZeTuP AG
    • Contact: Barbara Bolliger, Dr. med.
  • Saint Gallen, Switzerland, 9007
    • Recruiting
    • Kantonsspital St.Gallen, Zentrum für Integrative Medizin
    • Contact: Marc Schlaeppi, Dr. med.
  • Saint Gallen, Switzerland, 9016
    • Recruiting
    • Brustzentrum Ostschweiz AG
    • Contact: Patrik Weder, Dr. med.
  • Winterthur, Switzerland, 8401
    • Recruiting
    • Kantonsspital Winterthur, Medizinische Onkologie und Hämatologie
    • Contact: Andreas Müller, Dr. med.

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female, aged 18 years or older
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed metastatic breast cancer
• FACIT-F subscale score < 34 (considered as cut-off for a diagnosis of relevant fatigue; a score < 30 is considered as severe fatigue [83])
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) grade 1 or 2
• Ability to physically and cognitively perform an active movement therapy
• Ability to provide informed consent as documented by signature
• Ability to read, write, and speak German, French, or Italian

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability or contraindication that would prevent prolonged follow-up, or to undergo the investigated intervention or control intervention, in the opinion of the investigator
• Patients with psychiatric, addictive or any disorder that prevents the patient from adhering to the protocol requirements, in the opinion of the investigator
• Significant uncontrolled cardiac disease (e.g. unstable angina, recent myocardial infarction)
• Haemoglobin < 90 g/L

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Eurythmy therapy (ERYT); Eurythmy therapy (ERYT) is a standardized movement therapy and for each medical condition standardized ERYT exercise (series) exist. In such, in the present study, the cancer series "O-E-M-L-I-B-D" that is specific and standardized for breast cancer patients will be applied. Patients can perform and maintain the postures without stress and tension. Patients are instructed by ERYT therapists in sessions with 1 to 4 patients.	Other: Eurythmy therapy; Mind-body therapy
Active Comparator: CoordiFit; The CoordiFit program consists of standardized exercises that address physical coordination, stability, balance and dexterity. These exercises serve as a control intervention and are non-specific with respect of cancer-related fatigue and breast cancer. They mimic those of ERYT but have no mindfulness features. Patients are instructed by physical therapists in session with 1 to 4 patients.	Other: CoordiFit; Fitness training

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline in fatigue over the whole intervention	Fatigue is measured using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F). FACIT-F consists of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G) plus the fatigue subscale comprising 13 fatigue-related items, with a total of 41 items. The fatigue subscale score is ranging from 8 to 44. A score < 34 is considered as cut-off for a diagnosis of relevant fatigue.	End of the intervention (week 20)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline in quality of life over the whole intervention	Quality of life is measured using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F). FACIT-F consists of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G) plus the fatigue subscale comprising 13 fatigue-related items, with a total of 41 items. The FACT-G subscale score ranges from 0 to 108. The higher the FACT-G subscale score the better the quality of life.	End of the intervention (week 20)
Change from baseline in patient's distress over the whole intervention	Patient's distress is measured using the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress thermometer. The NCCN Distress thermometer ranges from 0 to 10, with 10 indicating an extreme distress and 0 indicating no distress.	End of the intervention (week 20)
Change from baseline in sleep quality over the whole intervention	Sleep quality is measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The PSQI total score of the 9 items ranges from 0 to 21. A score < or = 5 is associated with good sleep quality; a score > 5 is associated with poor sleep quality.	End of the intervention (week 20)
Change from baseline in pain over the whole intervention	Pain is measured using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). The BPI assesses pain at its "worst", "least", "average", and "now" (current pain). The four severity items range from 0 ("no pain") to 10 ("pain as bad as you can imagine").	End of the intervention (week 20)
Change from baseline in depression over the whole intervention	Depression is assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 total score for the nine items ranges from 0 to 27. Scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 represent cutpoints for mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression, respectively.	End of the intervention (week 20)
Change from baseline in anxiety over the whole intervention	Anxiety disorders are assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). The GAD-7 total score for the seven items ranges from 0 to 21. Scores of 5, 10, and 15 represent cutpoints for mild, moderate, and severe anxiety, respectively.	End of the intervention (week 20)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Bern
• Collaborators: Breast Cancer Research Foundation
• Investigators: Study Chair: Ursula Wolf, Professor, Institute for complementary and integrative medicine

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Meier-Girard D, Ribi K, Gerstenberg G, Ruhstaller T, Wolf U. Eurythmy therapy versus slow movement fitness in the treatment of fatigue in metastatic breast cancer patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2020 Jul 6;21(1):612. doi: 10.1186/s13063-020-04542-5.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 10, 2020
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 16, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 16, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): July 18, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 5, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 3, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Breast Diseases; Breast Neoplasms; Fatigue
• Other Study ID Numbers: 123123

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No