The following is a summary of “A protocol for a multidisciplinary early intervention during chemotherapy to improve dietary management behavior in breast cancer patients: a two-arm, single-center randomized controlled trial,” published in the July 2024 issue of Oncology by Tang et al.
Adverse reactions during the early stages of chemotherapy often compromise dietary intake and nutritional status in patients with breast cancer (BC) necessitating effective health self-management and lifestyle interventions. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary early intervention program designed to enhance dietary management and overall quality of life in patients with breast cancer (BC) undergoing chemotherapy.
In this single-blinded, single-center, randomized controlled trial, 88 female patients at the early or middle stage of their chemotherapy cycle will be enrolled. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group or the usual care group using a random number table. The intervention, grounded in the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change (ITHBC), will be delivered by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) including oncologists, dietitians, nurses, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners, and psychologists. Over 8 weeks, starting from the early or middle stage of chemotherapy and continuing through both inpatient and home-based chemotherapy periods, the MDT will conduct weekly sessions combining face-to-face discussions, online meetings, WeChat messaging, and telephone calls.
The intervention will address adverse reactions, dietary information and habits, self-care self-efficacy, treatment self-regulation, use of dietary supplements and TCM, social support, weight management, and outcome expectations. The primary outcome, dietary management behavior, will be assessed using the Dietary Management Behavior Questionnaire (DMBQ). Secondary outcomes include self-care self-efficacy measured by the Strategies Used by People to Promote Health (SUPPH), quality of life evaluated by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B), and body mass index (BMI) recorded with an electronic meter. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months following the intervention.
Given that dietary management is a critical aspect of health self-care impacted by chemotherapy, early multidisciplinary intervention is essential. This study will explore whether such interventions can establish a robust foundation for dietary self-management and improve nutritional status throughout the survivorship period.
Source: bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-024-12623-w
