Effects of Pilates method on quality of life, fatigue and sleep quality among breast cancer women receiving hormone therapy - Two-arm randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of the Pilates method on the quality of life, fatigue, and sleep quality of patients undergoing adjuvant clinical treatment with hormone therapy for breast cancer. METHODS: A randomized two-arm clinical trial with 34 breast cancer women that were randomized into two groups: a) Intervention group, who performed 16 weeks of mat Pilates; b) Control group, who maintained their daily routine activities and received three educational sessions. The questionnaires for each variable were applied before the intervention, after the intervention, and six months after the end of the intervention. Quality of life was assessed by The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), fatigue by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue (FACT-F), and sleep quality by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. RESULTS: The fatigue variable presented a time effect (p = 0.034) regardless of the analyzed group, in which a difference was found between baseline and the post-intervention period (p = 0.037). The variable sleep showed an effect of time (p = 0.025), presenting a difference between the baseline period and six months, with improvement for all participants (p = 0.004). Global health also showed a positive change also for all participants, with an isolated effect of time (p = 0.024). CONCLUSION: Interventions based on the Pilates method may bring positive results in quality of life, fatigue, and sleep quality in patients undergoing adjuvant treatment for breast cancer, but further studies on the subject are needed to prove the results in a larger number of patients.

Can mat Pilates and belly dance be effective in improving body image, self-esteem, and sexual function in patients undergoing hormonal treatment for breast cancer? A randomized clinical trial.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a 16-week exercise intervention (mat Pilates or belly dance) on body image, self-esteem and sexual function in breast cancer survivors receiving hormone therapy. Seventy-four breast cancer survivors were randomly allocated into mat Pilates, belly dance, or control group. The physical activity groups received a 16-week intervention, delivered 3 days a week, and 60 min a session. The control group received three education sessions. Data collection occurred at baseline, post-intervention, 6 and 12 months of follow-up with a questionnaire including body image (Body Image After Breast Cancer Questionnaire), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index) measures. The belly dance group significantly improved body image on limitations scale in the short term and long term, the mat Pilates significantly improved body image on limitations only in the long term, and the control group significantly decreased body image on limitations in the long term. The belly dance group experienced reduced discomfort and pain during sexual relations in the short and long term. All groups showed a significant improvement in self-esteem, but orgasm sub-scale scores declined over time. No adverse events were found for any of the exercise intervention groups. Belly dance seem to be more effective than mat Pilates and control group in improving limitations of body image and sexual discomfort in the short term for breast cancer survivors. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03194997) - "Pilates and Dance to Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment".

Can belly dance and mat Pilates be effective for range of motion, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms of breast cancer women?

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyse the effect of an intervention with belly dance or mat Pilates on range of motion, self-esteem and depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer receiving hormone therapy. METHOD: A randomized clinical trial of 52 participants, diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing adjuvant hormone therapy that were randomized and divided into three groups (1): Belly dance group, which received 16 weeks of Belly Dance classes 2) Mat Pilates group, that performed 16 weeks of Pilates intervention and (3) Control group, that received educational activities in the form of lectures and was invited to maintain its routine activities. The participants answered a questionnaire in which they contained the clinical and personal characteristics; quantification of the range of motion of the upper limbs using the Absolute Axis 360° digital goniometer; self-esteem by the Self-Esteem Scale (EAR) and depressive symptoms by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). All data was collected at two moments in the study, in the pre-intervention period (baseline) and at the end of the 16 weeks of intervention. RESULTS: Only the variable range of motion variable showed significant results in all study groups (p = 0.025), with the Mat Pilates group having the best scores. Although not significant, the other study variables also improved after the intervention period. CONCLUSION: Belly dance and the Mat Pilates can bring positive results in the range of movement of women undergoing adjuvant treatment of breast cancer, with the Pilates method being the one that most contributed to improvements in this variable.

The influence of 12-week dance intervention on sleep quality and pain among women with breast cancer - Pilot study of a non-randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Analyze the effects of a 12-week dance intervention on the sleep quality and the level of pain among women with breast cancer. METHODS: Non-randomized clinical trial including 21 breast cancer survivors allocated in intervention group (n = 11) or control group (n = 10). Intervention group received a 12-week mix dance intervention and the control group maintained their routine activities. Data collection was realized through the application of a questionnaire before and after 12 weeks, involving pain (VAS) and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). The Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures and Sidák correction, and multiple linear regression was used. RESULTS: No significant effects were found on sleep quality and pain after the 12-week intervention with a mix dance protocol. Also, no significant difference was found between intervention and control group during post-intervention. The multiple linear regression analysis, controlled by stage of treatment, did not present a significant relationship between sleep quality and pain. Additionally, some spontaneous reports provided by the participants demonstrated a subjective improvement in their social life and general well-being. CONCLUSION: The 12-week mix dance intervention did not seem to directly influence the sleep quality and pain of breast cancer survivors in this study; however, no adverse events were reported. Perhaps, a dance protocol focusing only in one modality of dance may be more effective for breast cancer survivors on sleep quality and pain.