ClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT03259438Updated Aug 23, 2017

The Vitality Project for Fatigued Female Cancer Survivors

An interventional study of Qigong and Healthy Living (CHIP + Pre-Train) in Fatigue and Cancer Survivorship, sponsored by The Miriam Hospital. Status unknown at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-08-23.

Sponsored by The Miriam Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Aug 2017), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
75
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

This parallel, randomized, non-inferiority trial will examine whether a ten week qigong intervention is not inferior to a ten week exercise-nutrition comparison group in reducing fatigue in cancer survivors. To build a more mechanistic understanding of physiological changes associated with fatigue reduction, it will secondly collect several different types of data to build an integrative brain-body model of vigor in cancer survivorship including:

  1. data related to neural correlates of body awareness: cortical EEG data measuring each subject's ability to use attention to control neurons in primary somatosensory cortex (replication of Kerr et al 2011 study in mindfulness), and resting state fMRI measures of insular connectivity with nodes of the default mode network and salience network
  2. data related to inflammation measured via inflammatory cytokines (e.g., interleukin-6 and tnf-alpha)
  3. data related to cardiorespiratory functioning including cardiac impedance (ICG) and mechanical lung function
  4. data related to parasympathetic and sympathetic signaling between the nervous system and the rest of the periphery.
Read the detailed description

The purpose of this study is to examine the therapeutic effects of movement and body awareness on recovery from cancer-related fatigue. In the current study, 60-80 female cancer survivors with cancer-related fatigue will be recruited who have been out of treatment for at least eight weeks. They will be randomized to either a 10-week qigong contemplative movement course or a 10 -week exercise-nutrition course. This study is designed as a non-inferiority trial to test the primary hypothesis that a ten week qigong intervention is not inferior to a ten week exercise-nutrition active comparator group in reducing fatigue in female cancer survivors (assessed via the FACIT-Fatigue scale). If non-inferiority is demonstrated during analysis, the data will be further analyzed to examine whether the qigong group significantly decreases fatigue more than the healthy living comparison group. The FACIT-Fatigue scale will be delivered at three time points: before the intervention starts (T1), after it ends (T2), and three months after the intervention has ended (T3). Further, this study will directly examine the underlying physiological mechanisms by which each intervention exerts its effects. Participants will be tested pre (T1) and post (T2) intervention on a variety of measures across multiple bodily and brain systems (eg EEG, fMRI, EMG, ECG, ICG, mechanical lung function, Doppler flowmetry, serum cytokines, muscle strength, 6 min walk test) to assess changes in these systems that are associated with reduction of fatigue and improvement of the subjective sense of vitality and energy. The data will be used to test whether conscious attention to bodily sensations cultivated in contemplative movement practices (i.e. Qigong) can actually impact levels of inflammation in the periphery as well as cortical measures of interoceptive awareness (ie resting state insula connectivity), and whether these changes will be associated with fatigue reduction. The secondary hypothesis is that decreased inflammation levels in the blood will be correlated with reduction in fatigue at post intervention as well as changes in neural markers of interoceptive and bodily awareness, and that this effect will be stronger in the qigong group.

02

Conditions studied

  • Fatigue
  • Cancer Survivorship

Keywords

  • Qigong
  • Comprehensive Health Improvement Program (CHIP)
  • Pre-Train Injury Prevention Program
  • Cancer Related Fatigue
  • Cancer Survivorship
  • Inflammation
  • Flowmetry
  • Corticomuscular coherence
  • Heart Rate Variability
  • Neuroimmune Interactions
  • Complex Systems Analysis
  • Female
03

In context

Fatigue

2,229 studies on the registry are indexed under Fatigue; 426 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 75 is above the median of 54 across 1,757 interventional studies indexed under Fatigue.

Browse Fatigue studies →

Lead sponsor

The Miriam Hospital is the lead sponsor of 182 studies on the registry; 15 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Female patients
  • Aged 18-70 years
  • Have completed a course of chemotherapy cancer treatment (except for ongoing treatment with Herceptin [trastuzumab] or other therapies), AND/OR radiation treatment, AND/OR surgery, with no surgery, radiation or chemotherapy received in the past 8 weeks.
  • Endorse a 3/10 or above for the question "On a scale of one to ten, in the last week, how much has your fatigue interfered with your daily life, with 1 being not at all, and 10 being all the time" AND/OR "On a scale of one to ten, in the last week, how much have you felt your sleep has been disturbed or of a quality that you have not felt rested when you wake up, with 1 being not at all, and 10 being all the time"
  • Have a primary care or other physician
  • Ability to understand English
  • Willingness to have blood drawn
  • Willingness to have an EEG, , and EMG taken
  • Willingness to complete questionnaires
  • Willingness and ability to undergo an fMRI scan (screening parameters for this are included below) [optional: participant doesn't have to do this if it will represent too much burden to the participant, or if they have other to fMRI such as metal in the body, etc.]
  • Ability to pass basic validated physical movement tests (e.g.: standing with feet touching for 30 seconds, twist right to left and back, hold arms out to side in air for 15 seconds, lift arms over head, moving from standing position to seated position on the floor) to verify safety for qigong and exercise practices

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History or current diagnosis of coronary artery or coronary heart disease
  • History or current diagnosis of heart attack, or heart murmur
  • Electrical Pacemaker Implant in heart
  • Peripheral neuropathy in hands
  • History or current diagnosis of any other MAJOR psychiatric disorder (including psychosis, or mania, or suicidal or homicidal ideation) besides depression or anxiety
  • Active alcohol or drug abuse
  • Tobacco use
  • Pregnancy
  • Ingestion of caffeine or cocoa products less than two hours from data collection
  • Inability to participate in gentle exercises (like pilates)
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Adjuvant and neoadjuvant

Neoadjuvant treatment is given before the main treatment (usually surgery), often to shrink a tumour. Adjuvant treatment is given after it, to lower the chance of the cancer coming back.

ECG (electrocardiogram)

A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
75 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Qigong

    This course will meet twice weekly for 2 hours and 15 minutes per class for ten weeks. Topics will include guided instruction in the theory and background of qigong and healing. Practice will include gentle stretching and guided qigong movement as well as seated and lying down meditations. Participants will be asked to complete about 30 minutes a day of home assignments.

    Behavioral: Qigong

  • Active comparator
    Healthy Living (CHIP + Pre-Train)

    This course will meet twice weekly for 2 hours and 15 minutes per class for ten weeks. Topics will include plant based nutrition counseling via the Comprehensive Health Improvement Program (CHIP) as well as core-stretching, strengthening, and light aerobic movements through a Pre-Train exercise program. Participants will be asked to complete about 30 minutes a day of home assignments.

    Behavioral: Healthy Living (CHIP + Pre-Train)

Interventions

  • BehavioralQigong

    Qigong is a form of gentle mind-body movement that originates in China and has traditionally been used for healing purposes. It has been reported to improve energy levels, as well as strength and endurance and mental clarity and equanimity. This study will assess how a 10-week qigong intervention compares to an exercise-nutrition intervention in improving fatigue and vitality in female cancer survivors. On a secondary level, we will asses changes in underlying brain, heart, and peripheral dynamics that occur as a result of the qigong practice to develop a mechanistic understanding of qigong's efficacy.

  • BehavioralHealthy Living (CHIP + Pre-Train)

    The Healthy Living active comparator intervention includes two components: plant based nutrition counseling via the Comprehensive Health Improvement Program (CHIP) and core strengthening exercises and light aerobic activity via the Pre-Train exercise program.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Reduction in Fatigue (via FACIT-Fatigue scale)

    Fatigue assessed via the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue) questionnaire

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Electrocardiogram (ECG)

    Will be measured to calculate heart rate variability (HRV)

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  2. Impedance Cardiography

    Will be used to assess exercise related improvements in cardiovascular tone.

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  3. Electroencephalography (EEG)

    Will be used to assess changes in cortical brain waves (particularly alpha and beta rhythms)

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  4. Tactile Acuity

    A task that involves subtle taps to the finger tips, EEG is simultaneously recorded to examine modulation in brain rhythms across somatosensory cortex related to cued attention to the tap

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  5. Electromyography (EMG)

    A measure of muscle rhythms

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  6. Precision Grip

    A measure of one's ability to hold a lever at a steady force, EEG and EMG simultaneously record corticomuscular coherence that may facilitate steady grip

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  7. Electrodermal Activity (skin conductance)

    to assess sympathetic tone

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  8. Working memory capacity (WMC)

    Assessed via the short-form O-SPAN computer-based task to assess overall memory impairments

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  9. Mechanical lung function

    to determine the impact of exercise and movement on overall lung function

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  10. Inflammatory cytokines (eg Il-1, Il-6) collected via a blood draw

    To measure the interaction between the brain measures of bodily awareness and the immune system

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  11. Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI)

    Optional measure: To assess changes in functional connectivity associated with participation in the intervention

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  12. Muscle Strength

    Assessed via jamar hand dynamometers and back, leg, and arm dynamometers to assess changes in muscle tone associated with the classes

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  13. 6 Minute Walk Test

    Test of how far a participant can walk in six minutes to assess overall endurance

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2)

  14. Patient Health Questionnaire

    Measure of anxiety and depression

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

  15. Functional Assessment of cancer therapy-General (FACT-G) Questionnaire

    Measure of physical, social, emotional, and functional well-being

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

  16. Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) Questionnaire

    Questionnaire to measure subjectively reported interoceptive and bodily awareness (including body-specific sensations, emotions, and cognitions)

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

  17. Profile of Mood States (POMS) Questionnaire

    To assess fatigue, vigor, and overall mood

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

  18. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

    Measurement of sleep quality, habits, and patterns

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

  19. Rand 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)

    Measurement of overall quality of life

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

  20. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)

    Measures multiple factors of emotional dysregulation

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

  21. Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI)

    Measures overall fatigue interfrerence

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

Other outcomes

  1. Apple watches Heart Rate and Physical Steps Tracking

    Apple watches will be supplied to interested participants to monitor their heart rate and physical steps taken throughout the day to assess changes in movement patterns while participating in the classes

    Time frame: Optional Measure: For those involved, tracked daily for five days before the intervention starts, for the 70 days during the 10-week intervention, and for five days after the intervention ends.

  2. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Questionnaire

    To assess changes in self-reported stress

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

  3. Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)

    Measure of self-reported social support

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

  4. Unmitigated Communion Scale

    A measure of a person's tendency to care for other's before themselves

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

  5. Godin Leisure time Questionnaire

    Measure of how much a person has been excising or relaxing

    Time frame: Measured at baseline (time 1) and after 10-week intervention (time 2) and 3 months after end of intervention (time 3)

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Miriam Hospital Outpatient 146 West River Street
    Providence, Rhode Island 02904, United States
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Farb N, Daubenmier J, Price CJ, Gard T, Kerr C, Dunn BD, Klein AC, Paulus MP, Mehling WE. Interoception, contemplative practice, and health. Front Psychol. 2015 Jun 9;6:763. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00763. eCollection 2015. PubMed 26106345 ↗
  • Desbordes G, Gard T, Hoge EA, Holzel BK, Kerr C, Lazar SW, Olendzki A, Vago DR. Moving beyond Mindfulness: Defining Equanimity as an Outcome Measure in Meditation and Contemplative Research. Mindfulness (N Y). 2014 Jan 21;2014(January):356-72. doi: 10.1007/s12671-013-0269-8. PubMed 25750687 ↗
  • Wells RE, Yeh GY, Kerr CE, Wolkin J, Davis RB, Tan Y, Spaeth R, Wall RB, Walsh J, Kaptchuk TJ, Press D, Phillips RS, Kong J. Meditation's impact on default mode network and hippocampus in mild cognitive impairment: a pilot study. Neurosci Lett. 2013 Nov 27;556:15-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.10.001. Epub 2013 Oct 10. PubMed 24120430 ↗
  • Daubenmier J, Sze J, Kerr CE, Kemeny ME, Mehling W. Follow your breath: respiratory interoceptive accuracy in experienced meditators. Psychophysiology. 2013 Aug;50(8):777-89. doi: 10.1111/psyp.12057. Epub 2013 May 22. PubMed 23692525 ↗
  • Kerr CE, Sacchet MD, Lazar SW, Moore CI, Jones SR. Mindfulness starts with the body: somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation. Front Hum Neurosci. 2013 Feb 13;7:12. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00012. eCollection 2013. PubMed 23408771 ↗
  • Kerr CE, Jones SR, Wan Q, Pritchett DL, Wasserman RH, Wexler A, Villanueva JJ, Shaw JR, Lazar SW, Kaptchuk TJ, Littenberg R, Hamalainen MS, Moore CI. Effects of mindfulness meditation training on anticipatory alpha modulation in primary somatosensory cortex. Brain Res Bull. 2011 May 30;85(3-4):96-103. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2011.03.026. Epub 2011 Apr 8. PubMed 21501665 ↗
  • Mehling WE, Wrubel J, Daubenmier JJ, Price CJ, Kerr CE, Silow T, Gopisetty V, Stewart AL. Body Awareness: a phenomenological inquiry into the common ground of mind-body therapies. Philos Ethics Humanit Med. 2011 Apr 7;6:6. doi: 10.1186/1747-5341-6-6. PubMed 21473781 ↗
  • Kerr CE, Shaw JR, Wasserman RH, Chen VW, Kanojia A, Bayer T, Kelley JM. Tactile acuity in experienced Tai Chi practitioners: evidence for use dependent plasticity as an effect of sensory-attentional training. Exp Brain Res. 2008 Jun;188(2):317-22. doi: 10.1007/s00221-008-1409-6. Epub 2008 May 30. PubMed 18512052 ↗
  • Lazar SW, Kerr CE, Wasserman RH, Gray JR, Greve DN, Treadway MT, McGarvey M, Quinn BT, Dusek JA, Benson H, Rauch SL, Moore CI, Fischl B. Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Neuroreport. 2005 Nov 28;16(17):1893-7. doi: 10.1097/01.wnr.0000186598.66243.19. PubMed 16272874 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — No sharing plan anticipated.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Jul 2017 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2017, 4 months after the start.

Of 936 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Fatigue, half reached primary completion within 12 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27. This study's planned 4 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 989 studies reached it within 11 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jul 19, 2017
First posted
Aug 23, 2017
StartActual
Jul 24, 2017
Primary completionEst.
Dec 20, 2017
CompletionEst.
Jan 30, 2018
Last update
Aug 23, 2017
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 23, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03259438
Collaborators
Brown University
Responsible party
Ellen Flynn (MD, Psychiatry, The Miriam Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 23, 2017
Start date
Jul 24, 2017
Primary completion
Dec 20, 2017 (estimated)
Completion
Jan 30, 2018 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 23, 2017

Study contacts

Chloe S Zimmerman, BA
Contact
chloe_zimmerman@brown.edu
401-863-6272
Ellen Flynn, MD
principal investigator · The Miriam Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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