Fillion, L., Gagnon, P., Leblond, F., Gélinas, C., Sayard, J., Dupuis, R., . . . Larochelle, M. (2008). A brief intervention for fatigue management in breast cancer survivors. Cancer Nursing, 31, 145–159.

The intervention was comprised of four weekly group meetings lasting 2.5 hours and a 5- to 15-minute telephone “booster session.” For one hour, participants were supervised by a kinesiologist or trained research nurse in walking training. A personal exercise program was established for each participant. Participants were encouraged to perform and keep records of their home-based assignments. Participants signed a contractual agreement to comply with recommendations, which were revised each week during the walking session. Participants were provided with ambulatory devices to help monitor their progress. The walking training was followed by a 1.5-hour session of psychoeducative and fatigue management techniques. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and at three-month follow-up.

• In total, 87 women with nonmetastatic breast cancer who had recently completed radiotherapy treatment were included.
• Mean age was 52.47 years.
• Of the participants, 65.5% were married, 71.3% were parents, and 37.9% were university graduates.
• Participants who showed signs of clinical depression, insomnia, or symptoms of recurrence or who had severe health problems other than cancer were excluded.

University hospital in Quebec City, Canada

Participants were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.

This was a randomized, controlled trial.

• Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI)
• Profile of Mood States (POMS)

At baseline, participants had moderate-intensity fatigue and energy levels. Women who received the intervention showed a significantly lower level of fatigue at follow-up compared with women in the control group. Similarly, women who received the intervention experienced statistically significant higher energy levels than the participants in the control group postintervention, particularly at the three-month follow-up.

• Participants in breast cancer research tend to be resource affluent and well educated, which limits the generalizability of the results.
• The participation rate was low due to time and travel requirements beyond what is required for standard medical care.
• The effects of nonspecific therapeutic processes, such as engagement and social interaction, were limitations, as participants in the experimental group spent more time with experts involved in the study than those in the control group.
• Analysis did not examine the benefits of the psychoeducative and exercise components of the intervention separately; it only evaluated the intervention as combined.