Posted on May 7, 2001 at 3:20 p.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — A study under way at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) aims to determine how effective a support program that combines stress management, social support and exercise is in helping women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. “We’re interested in whether these interventions have a positive impact on the overall health of these women,” says Duck-Hee Kang, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing at UAB and lead investigator for the study.
Specifically, the study is designed to evaluate the effects of these support programs on the women’s immune systems, clinical symptoms and overall sense of well-being. “We believe these programs will be highly beneficial to women who are coping with the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer,” Kang says.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 182,800 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and approximately 40,800 women will die from the disease. “Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women,” says Kang. “It can also affect men, but women — especially those over age 40 — are at much greater risk.”
The study is funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, a branch of the National Institutes of Health. “Although other studies have looked at the effect of exercise on the immune system, not much is known about how exercise combined with other components, such as stress management and social support, may affect the immune system,” says Kang.
Researchers are recruiting 150 women who are at least 30 years old and who have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer to participate in the study. The women must also be undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy and should also be able to participate in moderate-intensity exercise.
In addition to the standard care provided by their oncologists, women participating in the study will also attend weekly stress management and support group sessions and exercise at least three times a week for 30 to 40 minutes for a period of eight weeks. All participants will be monitored throughout the study, and afterwards, the support programs will be offered to participants not initially enrolled in the support program group.
Women will receive up to $100 for their participation in the study. For more information, contact Teri Mobley, project coordinator, at (205) 934-7589.