Kim, Y., Roscoe, J. A., & Morrow, G. R. (2002). The effects of information and negative affect on severity of side effects from radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer, 10, 416–421.

Patients were randomly assigned to either the placebo control group or the intervention group after being stratified by work status and whether they were receiving hormone treatment. Patients in both the intervention and placebo control groups listened to brief tape-recorded messages in the clinic before their first and fifth radiation therapy treatments. The lengths of the audio-only tapes were four and eight minutes for each of these two treatments. A member of the research staff stayed with each patient while the tape recordings were played. The tape-recorded messages for the placebo control group contained general and global information that was generally available to all patients receiving radiation therapy, including resources available to them in the treatment setting. The messages also included self-care instructions to help patients control or lessen side effects. For the intervention group, the tapes were designed to deliver specific, descriptive, sensory messages regarding radiation therapy procedures and related information based on self-regulation theory, in addition to the same self-care instruction, as was given to the comparison group. The information was developed from descriptive data collected from men undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer and was tailored to match the standard practices of the radiation facility of each participating institution.

• In total, 152 men receiving radiation therapy as curative treatment for localized prostate cancer were included.
• Mean age was 70.8 years (range 44–85).
• Most patients were married (86%), retired (76%), Caucasian (96%), and had at least a high school education (88%).
• The distribution of disease stage was 13% with stage A, 66% with stage B, and 21% with stage C disease.
• Most patients (92%) did not receive hormone therapy.
• Thirty-four patients were employed.

Radiation oncology facility of one of eight cancer centers

Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.

The study was a randomized, controlled trial with an attentional control group.

Profile of Mood States (POMS)

Patients who received the informational intervention containing detailed information concerning radiation therapy and potential side effects reported less severe fatigue at the second radiation treatment and at the conclusion of treatment than patients who received only general information.

• It was unclear whether group allocation was concealed from the investigators.
• Longer follow-up is indicated because fatigue might be expected to continue to increase in the weeks following the conclusion of radiation therapy.
• There were initial costs to develop the audiotapes.