Clinical trial · Interventional
Healing Touch, Quality of Life, and Immunity During Breast Cancer Treatment
Quality of Life and Immunity During Breast Cancer Treatment
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The purpose of this research study is to understand effects of a complementary medicine therapy, Healing Touch on quality of life and immunity of patients who are receiving treatment for breast cancer. Healing Touch is a Holistic Therapy used as an adjunct to medical treatment. The goal of Healing Touch is to restore energy and vitality to the body as a patient is receiving treatment for cancer. Treatments include light touch on specific points on the body as well as around the body, to increase well-being and support the body's ability to heal. Healing Touch has been shown to increase relaxation and well-being and to decrease anxiety, pain, and treatment side effects in a variety of illnesses including cancer. Although Healing Touch is frequently used by cancer patients along with their medical treatments, very little is understood about the effects of this treatment on the immune system. The immune system is known to be important in the body's response to fighting cancer. We are studying Healing Touch to help us understand whether or not these treatments are effective in supporting the immune system during breast cancer treatment Aim 1. To evaluate effects of a healing touch (HT) intervention on cellular immunity among early stage breast cancer patients during radiotherapy. Aim 2. To evaluate effects of a Healing Touch (HT) intervention on cytokines associated with radiation damage and acute skin reactions in early stage breast cancer patients during radiotherapy. Aim 3. To evaluate the effects of a Healing Touch intervention on fatigue and mood in early stage breast cancer patients during radiation treatment.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast Cancer | Malignant Breast Neoplasm | CURATED_EXACT | 0.92 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healing Touch | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Standard Treatment | Radiation | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Healing Touch
- description
- Healing Touch + Standard Treatment Healing Touch treatments daily following standard Radiation Therapy. Standard radiation therapy is part of their medical care and is not administered as part of this study. Protocol of 4 HT techniques will be used including Pain Drain, Chakra connection, Magnetic Unruffling, and Mind Clearing. Treatments will be approximately 20-30 minutes.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Healing Touch
- Radiation: Standard Treatment
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Usual Care
- description
- Standard Treatment. These patients receive usual medical care but no additional intervention. Standard treatment is not administered as part of this study but as part of their medical treatment.
- interventionNames
- Radiation: Standard Treatment
Primary outcomes (1)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 95 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Breast cancer patients who have received either a mastectomy or breast conservative surgery * Diagnosis of Stage I-IIIa breast cancer, * Receiving either chemotherapy + radiation or radiation alone Exclusion Criteria: * Past history of cancer * Recurrent cancer * Greater than Stage IIIa breast cancer * History of immunosuppressive disorders (e.g. HIV, AIDS, hepatitis, etc.) * On immunosuppressive medications * On corticosteroids (e.g. Prednisone)
References
Publications (25)
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- BACKGROUNDWhiteside TL, Herberman RB. Role of human natural killer cells in health and disease. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 1994 Mar;1(2):125-33. doi: 10.1128/cdli.1.2.125-133.1994. PMID 7496932
- BACKGROUNDJacobson JS, Verret WJ. Complementary and alternative therapy for breast cancer: the evidence so far. Cancer Pract. 2001 Nov-Dec;9(6):307-10. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-5394.2001.96001.x. No abstract available. PMID 11879333
- BACKGROUNDMenthe J. Healing touch level I notebook, 1996.
- BACKGROUNDFreel M, Hart L. Nurse's handbook of Alternative & Complementary therapies. Apringhouse, PA: Springhouse Publishing Co.: 61-82, 1999.
- BACKGROUNDBogulawski M. Therapeutic touch: a facilitator of pain relief. Top Clin Nurs. 1980 Apr;2(1):27-37. No abstract available. PMID 6992355
- BACKGROUNDWirth DP, Richardson JT, Eidelman WS. Wound healing and complementary therapies: a review. J Altern Complement Med. 1996 Winter;2(4):493-502. doi: 10.1089/acm.1996.2.493. PMID 9395679
- BACKGROUNDAstin JA, Harkness E, Ernst E. The efficacy of "distant healing": a systematic review of randomized trials. Ann Intern Med. 2000 Jun 6;132(11):903-10. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-132-11-200006060-00009. PMID 10836918
- RESULTBower JE, Ganz PA, Desmond KA, Rowland JH, Meyerowitz BE, Belin TR. Fatigue in breast cancer survivors: occurrence, correlates, and impact on quality of life. J Clin Oncol. 2000 Feb;18(4):743-53. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2000.18.4.743.