Clinical trial · Interventional
Effect of White Light on Fatigue Levels in Patients With Gynecological Cancer
The Effect of White Light on Fatigue Levels in Patients With Gynecological Cancer: A Double Blind Randomized Trial
- 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)
White light therapy is one of the non-pharmacological methods in the management of fatigue. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a persistent, subjective sense of physical, emotional, and/or cognitive tiredness or burnout. It is associated with cancer or cancer treatment from the first diagnosis until the end of life that is not proportional to recent physical activity. It was founded that 10,000 Lux bright white light administered in the morning hours reduced fatigue by 17% in patients with cancer and that the mean fatigue scores of patients decreased from 30.37 to 9.48 compared to before the light administration. According to NCCN (2020), white light of 10,000 Lux can be applied for 30-90 minutes in the morning hours to regulate sleep and manage fatigue in the post treatment period as well as in cancer patients receiving active treatment. However, studies on this subject consist of small sample groups, and more studies are needed to identify the risks and benefits of the application and to determine the optimal application time and duration. The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of white light on the fatigue levels of patients with gynecological cancer who were treated with chemotherapy. The patients with high levels of fatigue in every dimension were selected so as to have a homogeneous group. The research hypotheses were determined as follows: H0: White light has no effect on fatigue levels in patients with gynecological cancer. H1: White light reduces fatigue levels in patients with gynecological cancer.
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-related Fatigue | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Light; Therapy, Complications | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Light Application | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- white light intervention group
- description
- Between the second and the eighth days of the application phase, the patients in the intervention group were administered a standard white light at 10,000 Lux intensity by an independent nurse (RA1) in their home environment using a Litebook Elite light source (The Litebook Company Ltd., Medicine Hat, AB). The distance between the light source and the patient's face was set at 50 cm, and the intensity of the light for each patient was checked using a Lux Meter. The intervention was applied between 07:00 and 10:00 in the morning for 30 minutes without interruption, and it was continued for seven successive days. The light application procedure was followed based on the previous studies on oncology patients. The second and third evaluations of the fatigue status of patients were completed on the 9th and 21st days.
- interventionNames
- Other: White Light Application
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Control group
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- White light changes general fatigue scores
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- Female
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * had a normal state of consciousness, * had no communication disorders, did not work in the night shift, * had a general fatigue level score of ≥1 according to the Brief Fatigue Inventory Exclusion Criteria: * had natural/artificial lenses, * used medication that causes photosensitivity (tetracycline, doxycycline, nalidixic acid, voriconazole, amiodarone, hydrochlorothiazide, naproxen, piroxicam, chlorpromazine) * had a change in their treatment plan in the last 6 weeks were not included in the study
References
Publications (17)
- BACKGROUNDJohnson JA, Subnis U, Carlson LE, Garland SN, Santos-Iglesias P, Piedalue KL, Deleemans JM, Campbell TS. Effects of a light therapy intervention on diurnal salivary cortisol in fatigued cancer survivors: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. J Psychosom Res. 2020 Dec;139:110266. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110266. Epub 2020 Oct 6. PMID 33070045
- BACKGROUNDNational Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. Cancer related fatigue [Internet]. Version 1.2021. 2020. Available from: https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/fatigue.pdf
- BACKGROUNDFabi A, Bhargava R, Fatigoni S, Guglielmo M, Horneber M, Roila F, Weis J, Jordan K, Ripamonti CI; ESMO Guidelines Committee. Electronic address: clinicalguidelines@esmo.org. Cancer-related fatigue: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Ann Oncol. 2020 Jun;31(6):713-723. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2020.02.016. Epub 2020 Mar 12. No abstract available. PMID 32173483
- BACKGROUNDNautiyal V, Lal P, Verma M, Yadav R, Singh N, Kumar S. Evaluation of fatigue in head and neck cancer patients undergoing (intensity modulated radiation therapy) radiotherapy: a prospective study. Asian J Oncol. 2015;1(1).
- BACKGROUNDBerger AM, Kuhn BR, Farr LA, Von Essen SG, Chamberlain J, Lynch JC, Agrawal S. One-year outcomes of a behavioral therapy intervention trial on sleep quality and cancer-related fatigue. J Clin Oncol. 2009 Dec 10;27(35):6033-40. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2008.20.8306. Epub 2009 Nov 2. PMID 19884558
- BACKGROUNDNowe E, Friedrich M, Leuteritz K, Sender A, Stobel-Richter Y, Schulte T, Hinz A, Geue K. Cancer-Related Fatigue and Associated Factors in Young Adult Cancer Patients. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2019 Jun;8(3):297-303. doi: 10.1089/jayao.2018.0091. Epub 2019 Feb 20. PMID 30789284
- BACKGROUNDPrue G, Allen J, Gracey J, Rankin J, Cramp F. Fatigue in gynecological cancer patients during and after anticancer treatment. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2010 Feb;39(2):197-210. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2009.06.011. Epub 2009 Dec 7.