Mindfulness Therapy for Individuals With Lung Cancer

Managing psychological and physical symptoms to improve quality of life in patients with lung cancer are a major public health concern. Mindfulness-based therapies, a form of supportive complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), are showing promise in modifying psychological distress and improving quality of life in some cancer groups, but little testing has included lung cancer samples. Mindfulness-based interventions are grounded in evidence that meditation including breathing exercises, and gentle yoga enhance patients' ability to adapt to serious medical concerns. The study purpose is to test the acceptability, feasibility, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes of a home-based mindfulness intervention for individuals with lung cancer who are undergoing non-curative treatment. Acceptability and feasibility will be measured via patient consent and retention rates, therapy expectancy, study adherence, attrition reasons, and quality assurance indicators. Efficacy will be determined by HRQOL outcomes: symptoms; function; and health perceptions. Thirty-six individuals undergoing treatment of non-small cell lung cancer will be randomly assigned to receive either six weekly mindfulness sessions (N=18) or an attention control condition (N=18). Symptom data will be collected weekly to document the process of change in symptoms in both groups. HRQOL data will be obtained at baseline (Time 1), following the intervention (Time 2), and four weeks after completion (Time 3). The hypothesis is that the mindfulness group will have better HRQOL (less worry, dyspnea, insomnia, depression; higher physical and social function; more positive health perceptions) than the attention control group at the protocol end and that these differences will be sustained at Time 3.