Being Present: A single-arm feasibility study of audio-based mindfulness meditation for colorectal cancer patients and caregivers

• Published in: PloS one 2018-07, Vol.13 (7), p.e0199423-e0199423
• Main Authors: Atreya, Chloe E, Kubo, Ai, Borno, Hala T, Rosenthal, Blake, Campanella, Matthew, Rettger, John P, Joseph, Galen, Allen, I Elaine, Venook, Alan P, Altschuler, Andrea, Dhruva, Anand
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anxiety; Biology and Life Sciences; Breast cancer; Cancer; Cancer patients; Cancer therapies; Care and treatment; Caregivers; Caregivers - psychology; Chemotherapy; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; Colorectal Neoplasms - diagnosis; Colorectal Neoplasms - psychology; Colorectal Neoplasms - therapy; Complications and side effects; Depression (Mood disorder); Engineering and Technology; Feasibility Studies; Female; Focus Groups; Health aspects; Humans; Integrative medicine; Intervention; Male; Medical diagnosis; Medical prognosis; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Meditation; Metastases; Metastasis; Middle Aged; Mindfulness - methods; Mood; Mortality; Oncology; Patients; Practice; Practice Patterns, Physicians; Psychological aspects; Quality of Life; Research and Analysis Methods; Risk factors; Social Sciences; Stress, Psychological; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199423

A metastatic cancer diagnosis is associated with high levels of distress in patients and caregivers. Mindfulness interventions can reduce distress and improve quality of life in cancer patients. However, standard mindfulness training relies on in-person instruction, which is often not practical for either patients receiving chemotherapy or their caregivers. In the Being Present single arm pilot study, we designed and tested an 8-week audio-based mindfulness meditation program for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving chemotherapy with or without a participating caregiver. The study accrued 33 of 74 (45%) eligible patients consenting together with 20 family caregivers (53 participants total) within nine months. Forty-one participants were evaluable (77%); 10 of 12 cases of attrition were attributable to hospitalization or death. Median participant age was 51 (range 21-78 years); 38% were men. Baseline levels of distress were similar in patients and caregivers. The top reasons for participation cited in pre-intervention interviews were to increase relaxation/calm, improve mood/emotions, and reduce stress/anxiety. In measures of adherence, 59% of responses to weekly texts asking: "Have you practiced today?" were "Yes" and 59% of interviewees reported practicing >50% of the time. Compared to baseline, post-intervention surveys demonstrated significantly reduced distress (p = 0.01) and anxiety (p = 0.03); as well as increased non-reactivity (p