Clinical trial · Interventional
Improving Sleep Among Cancer Patients: Comparison Between Physical Activity and Self-administered Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- 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)
It has been suggested that the practice of physical exercise can improve sleep, but few studies have investigated this issue in the context of cancer, despite the proven benefits of exercise in this population. This randomized-controlled trial (RCT) aimed to compare the efficacy of an aerobic intervention program to that of a self-administered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to improve sleep of cancer patients. Forty-one men and women with insomnia symptoms and treated within 6 months for a non-metastatic cancer participated in the study.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Malignant Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
| Insomnia | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive-behavioral therapy | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Physical exercise | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Physical exercise
- description
- A 6-week individualised, aerobic intervention program elaborated by a kinesiologist following a complete assessment of the individual's physical condition.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Physical exercise
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- description
- A 6-week self-administered cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia composed of a 60-min video (DVD format) and 6 booklets.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Change in Insomnia Severity Index total score
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 80 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * a diagnosis of non-metastatic cancer * adjuvant treatments completed within the past 6 months * insomnia symptoms as defined by a score ≥ 8 on the Insomnia Severity Index * practicing less than 90 minutes of physical exercise per week * able to readily read and understand French * available during a consecutive 6-week period to complete the intervention * written permission from physician to engage in a physical exercise program Exclusion Criteria: * severe cognitive impairments (e.g., diagnosis of Parkinson disease) * severe psychiatric disorder (e.g., severe major depression) * diagnosis of a sleep disorder other than insomnia (e.g., obstructive sleep apnea) * any contraindication for the practice of physical exercise
References
Publications (2)
- DERIVEDCai Z, Tang Y, Liu C, Li H, Zhao G, Zhao Z, Zhang B. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia in people with cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025 Oct 31;10(10):CD015176. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD015176.pub2. PMID 41170811
- DERIVEDMercier J, Ivers H, Savard J. A non-inferiority randomized controlled trial comparing a home-based aerobic exercise program to a self-administered cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in cancer patients. Sleep. 2018 Oct 1;41(10). doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsy149. PMID 30053196