Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Plus Hypnosis for Distress During Breast Radiotherapy: A Randomized Trial

Abstract

Radiotherapy is a common and effective treatment for women with breast cancer. However, radiotherapy has also been shown to adversely affect patients’ emotional well-being. Currently, few mind–body interventions are designed to improve patients’ quality of life during radiotherapy. One intervention which has demonstrated clinical efficacy in the breast cancer radiotherapy setting is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy plus Hypnosis. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy plus Hypnosis on emotional distress in women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy. One hundred patients were randomly assigned to either the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy plus Hypnosis (n = 50) or Attention Control (n = 50) group. Results revealed significant benefits of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy plus Hypnosis on emotional distress at the mid-point (d = 0.54), the conclusion (d = 0.64), and 4 weeks following the conclusion (d = 0.65) of radiotherapy (all ps < 0.05). In summary, results support further study of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy plus Hypnosis as an evidence-based intervention to reduce emotional distress in women with breast cancer. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy plus Hypnosis has the benefits of being brief, noninvasive, lacking side-effects, and producing beneficial effects which last beyond the conclusion of radiotherapy. Given these strengths, we propose that Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy plus Hypnosis is a strong candidate for greater dissemination and implementation in cancer populations.

Keywords:

• breast cancer
• cognitive-behavioral therapy
• hypnosis
• radiotherapy

Funding

This work was supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (R01AT008762), and the National Cancer Institute (R25CA193098, R21CA173163). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the National Cancer Institute, or the National Institutes of Health.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (R01AT008762), and the National Cancer Institute (R25CA193098, R21CA173163). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the National Cancer Institute, or the National Institutes of Health.