Effects of Yoga in Breast Cancer Patients

In this study researchers will examine the initial efficacy of implementing a yoga program for patients with breast cancer as an adjuvant to their radiotherapy. Patients with breast cancer who are undergoing radiotherapy will be randomly assigned to either a yoga group (YG), or a stretching (ST) control group, or a waitlist control (WL) group. Participants in YG and ST groups will attend three sessions each week throughout their 6-week radiotherapy schedule. The sessions will be coordinated with the treatment schedule and conducted adjacent to the treatment facility. Measures will be obtained prior to randomization, a brief assessment during the middle of radiation therapy, during the last week of radiation therapy, and 1, 3 and 6 months after the last radiation session. With the inclusion of two control groups in this randomized trial researchers will attempt to validate the benefits of yoga as an adjuvant to radiotherapy in patients with breast cancer wherein researchers will control for specific components of the yoga program and also examine some of the mechanisms that are necessary for the program to be effective. Our specific aims in the proposed study are to: * Conduct an initial evaluation of whether participation in the yoga program improves patients' fatigue and sleep disturbances. Fatigue and sleep will be assessed with self-report measures and the use of actigraphy for a more objective measure of sleep quality. * Secondary end points will include examining QOL, mental health and objective physiological outcomes (blood samples for immune measures, saliva samples for cortisol levels, and heart rate variability). * Exploratory analyses will examine some plausible mediators of the yoga program including cognitive processing, spirituality, and finding meaning in the cancer experience.

Sex

Female

Minimum age

18 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Women with Stage 0 - III breast cancer, undergoing daily adjuvant radiation for 6 weeks in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the M. D. Anderson
2. The participants will need to be 18 years of age or older.
3. Patients should be able to read, write, and speak English or Spanish.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patients who have a documented diagnosis of a formal thought disorder (e.g., schizophrenia) will be excluded from the study.
2. Patients with metastatic disease of the bone will be excluded to avoid any bone fractures that may result from yoga movements.
3. Patients with active/non-canalized deep vein thrombosis will be excluded from the study.
4. Patients who have not undergone any surgical treatment for their cancer will be excluded to ensure a more homogeneous sample.
5. Patients with extreme mobility issues (e.g., unable to get in and out of a chair unassisted) will be excluded.
6. Patients who have practiced yoga or taken yoga classes in the year prior to diagnosis will be excluded.
7. Patients diagnosed with lymphedema at baseline will be excluded.