Yoga in Controlling Symptoms and Reducing Stress in Women With Ovarian Cancer or Breast Cancer

RATIONALE: Yoga may improve symptoms and quality of life and reduce stress in patients with ovarian cancer or breast cancer and may help them live more comfortably. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well yoga works in controlling symptoms and reducing stress in women with ovarian cancer or breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Determine the feasibility of implementing a restorative yoga intervention as a complementary supportive therapy for women with ovarian or breast cancer. Measure changes in fatigue, psychosocial distress (anxiety, depression), psychological well-being (positive emotions), and overall quality of life from baseline to completion of the study treatment. OUTLINE: This is a pilot study. Patients undergo a 75-minute restorative yoga session once a week for 10 weeks. Patients complete questionnaires regarding fatigue, psychological distress (anxiety, depression), positive affect, and quality of life at baseline, immediately after the final yoga session, and then at 2 months after the final yoga session.

fatigue, psychosocial effects of cancer and its treatment, recurrent breast cancer, stage I breast cancer, stage II breast cancer, stage IIIA breast cancer, stage IIIB breast cancer, stage IIIC breast cancer, stage IV breast cancer, recurrent ovarian epithelial cancer, recurrent ovarian germ cell tumor, stage I ovarian epithelial cancer, stage I ovarian germ cell tumor, stage II ovarian epithelial cancer, stage II ovarian germ cell tumor, stage III ovarian epithelial cancer, stage III ovarian germ cell tumor, stage IV ovarian epithelial cancer, stage IV ovarian germ cell tumor

Psychological distress as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

Quality of life as measured by Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-O) for patients with ovarian cancer or FACT-B for patients with breast cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Diagnosis of breast or ovarian cancer Must be 2-24 months post-primary treatment (e.g., surgery) for breast cancer and/or have had a recurrence of breast cancer within the past 24 months Must be 3-24 months post-primary treatment (e.g., surgery) for ovarian cancer and/or have had a recurrence of ovarian cancer within the past 24 months Hormone receptor status not specified PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Female Menopausal status not specified Zubrod performance status 0-3 No medical contraindications Understands written and spoken English PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: See Disease Characteristics

Danhauer SC, Mihalko SL, Russell GB, Campbell CR, Felder L, Daley K, Levine EA. Restorative yoga for women with breast cancer: findings from a randomized pilot study. Psychooncology. 2009 Apr;18(4):360-8. doi: 10.1002/pon.1503.