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Baseline immune biomarkers as predictors of MBSR(BC) treatment success in off-treatment breast cancer patients.

Biological research for nursing
October 1, 2014
Richard R Reich et al. (13 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialResearch Support, N.I.H., ExtramuralHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether baseline biomarker levels could predict symptom improvement in breast cancer survivors following a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention.

Results Summary

The study found that multiple baseline biomarkers, including B-lymphocytes, interferon-γ, +CD4+CD8, lymphocytes, and interleukin (IL)-4, were significantly correlated with symptom improvement in gastrointestinal, cognitive/psychological, and fatigue domains after the MBSR intervention. Regression models identified specific biomarkers as the strongest predictors for each symptom category.

Population

Breast cancer survivors (41 patients).

Effective Dosage

Not specified.

Duration

6 weeks.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)-facilitated stress relief
decrease
stress relief
breast cancer patients
-
benefit most from
#1
MBSR intervention for breast cancer survivors (MBSR[BC])
increase
symptom improvement
breast cancer survivors
-
predicted symptom improvement following
#2
MBSR(BC) intervention
increase
6-week symptom improvement
patients
-
significantly positively related to 6-week symptom improvement
#3
MBSR(BC) intervention
increase
gastrointestinal improvement
patients
-
strongest predictors of gastrointestinal improvement
#4
MBSR(BC) intervention
increase
cognitive/psychological (CP) improvement
patients
-
strongest predictor of cognitive/psychological (CP) improvement
#5
MBSR(BC) intervention
increase
fatigue improvement
patients
-
strongest predictors of fatigue improvement
#6
Abstract

Researchers focused on patient-centered medicine are increasingly trying to identify baseline factors that predict treatment success. Because the quantity and function of lymphocyte subsets change during stress, we hypothesized that these subsets would serve as stress markers and therefore predict which breast cancer patients would benefit most from mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)-facilitated stress relief. The purpose of this study was to assess whether baseline biomarker levels predicted symptom improvement following an MBSR intervention for breast cancer survivors (MBSR[BC]). This randomized controlled trial involved 41 patients assigned to either an MBSR(BC) intervention group or a no-treatment control group. Biomarkers were assessed at baseline, and symptom change was assessed 6 weeks later. Biomarkers included common lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood as well as the ability of T cells to become activated and secrete cytokines in response to stimulation with mitogens. Spearman correlations were used to identify univariate relationships between baseline biomarkers and 6-week improvement of symptoms. Next, backward elimination regression models were used to identify the strongest predictors from the univariate analyses. Multiple baseline biomarkers were significantly positively related to 6-week symptom improvement. The regression models identified B-lymphocytes and interferon-γ as the strongest predictors of gastrointestinal improvement (p < .01), +CD4+CD8 as the strongest predictor of cognitive/psychological (CP) improvement (p = .02), and lymphocytes and interleukin (IL)-4 as the strongest predictors of fatigue improvement (p < .01). These results provide preliminary evidence of the potential to use baseline biomarkers as predictors to identify the patients likely to benefit from this intervention.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdultAgedBiomarkers, TumorBreast NeoplasmsFemaleHumansLymphocyte SubsetsMiddle AgedTreatment Outcome
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations23
Citations/Year2.1
Relative Citation Ratio0.95
NIH Percentile48.3%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score1.65
Normalized Score0.66
Related Supplements
Baseline immune biomarkers as predictors of MBSR(BC) treatme... | Panacea Index