Jyothi Chakrabarty

Effectiveness of pranayama on cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy: A randomized controlled trial.

Context: Incidence of breast cancer is very high among women around the world. Breast cancer patients experience cancer-related fatigue at some points during the treatment for breast cancer. Since cancer-related fatigue is of multifactorial origin, there are no evidence-based treatment strategies for fatigue. This study tested the effectiveness of certain pranayama techniques in reducing cancer-related fatigue among breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Aims: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of pranayama on cancer-related fatigue among breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy as measured by cancer fatigue scale. Settings and Design: Shirdi Sai Baba Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Kasturba Hospital Manipal. Materials and Methods: Study was a randomized controlled trial done among breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. Statistical Analysis Used: Demographic characteristics of the participants are presented as frequency and percentage. Comparison of means of cancer-related fatigue between the two groups is done by Mann-Whitney U-test and comparison of pre- and pos t-test means of cancer-related fatigue among the experimental group is done by Wilcoxon sign rank test. Results: There was a significant difference between the two groups with regard to the scores of cancer-related fatigue. The experimental group of patients who performed pranayama along with radiation therapy experienced less fatigue. Conclusions: Pranayama can be used as a supportive therapy for breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.

Economic burden of cancer in India

Background: Incidence of cancer is increasing alarmingly in India. There are very few public funded cancer centers to cater to the needs of growing population of persons getting diagnosed and living with cancer. Insurance schemes or government funded schemes are few and sparse. Objective: To analyze the economic burden faced by persons living with cancer and their families; both direct and indirect costs. Methods: Literature Search: A comprehensive literature search was made in PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Proquest and Science Direct for retrieving the related studies. Data were analyzed according to the objective. Narrative analysis was adopted to write this review. Conclusion: Persons living with cancer and their families experience significant economic burden. Burden is more in persons with advanced stage of the disease, people living in rural areas and those who belong to low socioeconomic status.

Psychological impact of cancer diagnosis in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients

Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the impact of cancer diagnosis on the psychological status of women with breast cancer, focusing on anxiety and psychological distress experienced by breast cancer patients. Materials and Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 80 breast cancer patients after an initial cancer diagnosis by using purposive sampling. The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in South India. Data was collected by using Demographic and Clinical proforma, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Impact of Event Scale. Sample characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the influence of anxiety on psychological distress was tested with correlation and a chi-square test was used to test the association between anxiety and distress with demographic and disease-related variables. Results: The sample consisted of 80 women with a mean age of 48.1 years. 96% were married, and 90% of them were housewives. Half of the subjects were educatedupto primary school. 80% were in stage II of cancer with a duration of diagnosis of 2-4 weeks.48% of the subjects were suffering from a moderate range of distress and 16% had severe psychological distress. Similarly, 80% of subjects had moderate to high level of anxiety. Anxiety did not have any influence on psychological distress. And only duration of diagnosis was associated with psychological distress. Conclusion: Results of the study suggest that cancer diagnosis can cause moderate to severe distress in breast cancer patients. Recognizing distress and intervening it on time is pivotal to improve treatment outcomes of women with breast cancer.

Emotional aspects and pranayama in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: Emotional disturbances are commonly experienced by cancer patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of certain Pranayama techniques on the emotional aspects such as impatience, worry, anxiety, and frustration among breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy in India. Methods: The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial. Patients were recruited when they were seeking radiation therapy for breast cancer. They were allocated into two groups using block randomization technique. The experimental group performed Pranayama along with radiation therapy, whereas the control group received only routine care. Results: Emotional aspects of the two groups were compared at the end of the treatment. Mann-Whitney U-test was used for comparison as the data were not following normality. It showed a significant difference between the two groups with the group who performed Pranayama showing a lesser mean score for these negative emotions. Conclusions: Pranayama might help in controlling the negative emotions likely to be faced by breast cancer patients, and it can be used as a supportive therapy for breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy.

Effectiveness of Inflatable Lumbar Support (ILS) for the Prevention of Short Term Backache among Post-operative Female Patients Undergoing Lower Abdominal Surgery Under Spinal Anesthesia

Introduction:Backache strikes nearly 85% of the population at some time of their life. Majority of the backache is due to stress and strain of back muscles, ligaments and tendons. Today the incidence of post-operative backache is increasing and positioning the patient as well as the anesthetic technique of surgery places an important role to develop post- operative backache.1 Objectives:To analyze the effectiveness of lumbar support in preventing post- operative backache as measured by Verbal Descriptive Scale (VDS) and also to find its association between post-operative backache and age, occupation, BMI, type of surgery, position during surgery and also the duration. Method and material:A 10 point Verbal Descriptive Scale pain scale was used to evaluate the post operative backache of both experimental (30) and control group (30). Result:The median of 2nd and 5th day VDS pain score between both the groups were significantly different (Z value is -5.070 in experimental group and - 4.217 in the control group). The median reduction in the VDS pain score between the two groups is statistically significant (Z=-5.028) at p<.05. Conclusion:This study provides empirical evidence to the effectiveness of inflatable lumbar support for the prevention of post-operative backache and is found to have association with BMI.