Clinical trial · Interventional
Rehabilitation Through Hippotherapy for the Management of Women After Primary Treatment of Breast Cancer
Effect of Multidisciplinary Management by Hippotherapy on the Quality of Life of Women With a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer: Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial on the Effectiveness of the Therapeutic Intervention
NCT04350398CI-TRIAL-00061183HippoBreastCacompletedN/AClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrialsProvenance
- 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)
Breast cancer is the most common women's cancer and the third leading cause of death. Advances in prevention, detection and primary treatment have improved overall survival leading to its growing acceptance as a long-term disease. Following the announcement of breast cancer, but also after primary treatment, some symptoms appear directly compromising psychic and physical spheres. Hippotherapy is an emerging specialized rehabilitation approach performed through specially trained horses by accredited health professionals. The proposed hippotherapy program offers key elements for physical, psychic and social reinforcement, complementing conventional care. The aim is to provide patients with tools to consolidate their self-awareness and thus strengthen their ability to cope with the disease.
Conditions
Conditions (4)
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 Female | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Physical Disability | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Psychological Distress | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Side Effects | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional therapy | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Hippotherapy | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Hippotherapy treated group
- description
- During the initial week of intervention, sessions will be mainly carried on horseback. We will use the movement of the horse: (i) to allow patient re-appropriating her body and find harmony; (ii) to initiate rehabilitation of movements (shoulder, neck, upper extremity, whole body), gesture and femininity. The goal is to reconstruct a harmonic body image both in the private and public sphere, through different techniques. A few walking sessions may be needed to reinforce some landmarks. During the short stages the work will be mainly done by walking alongside the horse. These reinforcement periods act like a trampoline, necessary to have a new momentum providing the opportunity to take a step back from the everyday, to regenerate somehow. The reaction time is generally optimized considering the imprint done during the initial long stage. One of the main themes that come up during this period is fear (relapse, the future, not achieving the goals, pain, relationship issues, etc.).
- interventionNames
- Other: Hippotherapy
- type
- PLACEBO_COMPARATOR
- label
- Conventional therapy treated group
- description
- Patients in the control group are followed by dedicated personnel of the Montpellier Institut du Sein. This personalized care pathway after/during the cancer treatment takes into consideration all aspects of the disease, allowing to coordinate the intervention of the professionals that the patient might need in order to better preserve her quality of life while answering questions about cancer, prevention, treatments, or life after illness. The MIS mobilizes a chain of skills and support by providing patients: radiologists, pathologists, surgeons, oncologists, and radiation therapists, nuclear doctors, physiotherapists, cardiologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, dieticians, onco-geneticists, osteopaths, homeopaths, acupuncturists, sexologists, addictologists, algologists, and vascular physicians.
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- Female
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 80 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Confirmed histological diagnosis of breast cancer staging \[T1-T3, N0-N2 and M0\] * Patient already scheduled or ongoing treatment for surgery and/or chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy and/or radiotherapy * Having consulted a physician of the Care and Support Unit of the MIS during its health care * WHO performance index from 0 to 2 * Able to give her informed consent in writing * Able to complete questionnaires * Abduction of the hip necessary and sufficient (to allow horse riding) * Affiliated to a social security scheme * Certificate of no contraindication issued by the physician in charge Exclusion Criteria: * History of malignant tumors in the last 5 years with the exception of basocellular skin carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma * Breast cancer as a secondary diagnosis * Medication intake or presence of conditions associated with fatigue (e.g. chronic fatigue syndrome) * Concomitant and uncontrolled severe degenerative or chronic disease * History of allergic reactions to dust and/or horsehair, or asthma * Contraindications to physical activity * History of horseback riding or hippotherapeutic treatment during the last 6 months * Clinically significant cognitive impairment or dementia * Pregnancy and breastfeeding * Majors protected by law * Patient participating in another biomedical research or in exclusion period
References
Publications (36)
- BACKGROUNDKhan F, Amatya B, Ng L, Demetrios M, Zhang NY, Turner-Stokes L. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation for follow-up of women treated for breast cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Dec 12;12(12):CD009553. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009553.pub2. PMID 23235677
- BACKGROUNDHulka BS, Moorman PG. Breast cancer: hormones and other risk factors. Maturitas. 2001 Feb 28;38(1):103-13; discussion 113-6. doi: 10.1016/s0378-5122(00)00196-1. PMID 11311599
- BACKGROUNDBelot A, Grosclaude P, Bossard N, Jougla E, Benhamou E, Delafosse P, Guizard AV, Molinie F, Danzon A, Bara S, Bouvier AM, Tretarre B, Binder-Foucard F, Colonna M, Daubisse L, Hedelin G, Launoy G, Le Stang N, Maynadie M, Monnereau A, Troussard X, Faivre J, Collignon A, Janoray I, Arveux P, Buemi A, Raverdy N, Schvartz C, Bovet M, Cherie-Challine L, Esteve J, Remontet L, Velten M. Cancer incidence and mortality in France over the period 1980-2005. Rev Epidemiol Sante Publique. 2008 Jun;56(3):159-175. doi: 10.1016/j.respe.2008.03.117. Epub 2008 Jun 10. PMID 18547762
- BACKGROUNDKlein D, Mercier M, Abeilard E, Puyraveau M, Danzon A, Dalstein V, Pozet A, Guizard AV, Henry-Amar M, Velten M. Long-term quality of life after breast cancer: a French registry-based controlled study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2011 Aug;129(1):125-34. doi: 10.1007/s10549-011-1408-3. Epub 2011 Feb 22. PMID 21340477
- BACKGROUNDMiaskowski C, Dibble SL. The problem of pain in outpatients with breast cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum. 1995 Jun;22(5):791-7. PMID 7675686
- BACKGROUNDHopwood P, Haviland JS, Sumo G, Mills J, Bliss JM, Yarnold JR; START Trial Management Group. Comparison of patient-reported breast, arm, and shoulder symptoms and body image after radiotherapy for early breast cancer: 5-year follow-up in the randomised Standardisation of Breast Radiotherapy (START) trials. Lancet Oncol. 2010 Mar;11(3):231-40. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(09)70382-1. Epub 2010 Feb 6.