A Multimodal Cancer Rehabilitation Programme Promoting Sense of Coherence for Women Treated for Female Reproductive Cancers - A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Ophelia

Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a theory-driven multimodal cancer rehabilitation intervention were evaluated among Hong Kong Chinese women treated for female reproductive cancers. A single-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted in two regional hospitals with 35 participants. The 12-week intervention delivered 30 app-based health education modules plus three nurse-led individual counselling sessions. Outcomes included sense of coherence, health-related quality of life, and cancer-specific distress assessed at T0, T1, and T2. Qualitative interviews assessed acceptability.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose, Methods, and Measures

Results

Conclusions and Implications

Trial Registration and Keywords

Introduction

A multimodal cancer rehabilitation programme promoting sense of coherence for women treated for female reproductive cancers: a pilot randomised controlled trial Ka Ming Chow1 · Carmen Wing Han Chan1 · Alexandra Leigh McCarthy2 · Jiemin Zhu3 · Kai Chow Choi1 · KaYi Siu4 · Alice Wai Yi Leung1 · Khanh Thi Nguyen1 Received: 26 April 2024 / Accepted: 12 June 2024 / Published online: 8 July 2024 © The Author(s) 2024 Abstract Purpose To investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a theory-driven multimodal cancer rehabilitation intervention (MCRI) programme among Hong Kong Chinese women treated for female reproductive cancers (FRC) . Methods A single-blinded randomised controlled trial was conducted in two regional hospitals in Hong Kong involving 35 women treated for FRC. The intervention group (n = 18) received a 12-week MCRI which included 30 modules of app-based health education and three nurse-led individual counselling sessions. The control group (n = 17) received attention from the research nurse through telephone calls. Sense of coherence, health-related quality of life, and cancer-specific distress were measured at baseline (T0), immediately after completion of the intervention (T1) and 12 weeks post-intervention (T2) . Twelve intervention completers were interviewed to explore the acceptability of the programme. Results Recruitment, consent, and retention rates, counselling session attendance rate, and app usage were satisfactory. The intervention participants reported to have significant improvement in physical well-being at T1 (Cohen’s d effect size (d) = 1.04, 95% CI 0.24, 1.83), sense of coherence (d = 0.76, 95% CI − 0.03, 1.54), and cancer-specific distress (d = 1.03, 95% CI − 1.83, − 0.21) at T2. Interviewed participants acknowledged the benefits of the programme and provided comments for improvement. Conclusions The MCRI is found to be feasible and acceptable and may improve their sense of coherence, distress, and physical health. A full-scale trial using a larger and more representative sample is warranted to confirm the effects of the programme. Implications for Cancer Survivors Women treated for FRC may be benefited from the MCRI in improving sense of coherence, physical well-being, and distress. Trial registration This trial was registered on ISRCTN registry with ID ISRCTN73177277 . Keywords Gynaecological cancer · Breast cancer · Rehabilitation · Diet · Distress · Physical activity · Sense of coherence · Quality of life Introduction Female reproductive cancers (FRC), which include breast, uterine, ovarian, cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers, accounted for nearly 40% of all cancers in women worldwide in 2020 [1] . Uterine, ovarian, cervical, vaginal, and vulval cancers are collectively named as gynaecological cancer. Although women with breast cancer and gynaecological cancer receive different treatment modalities, they all usually receive surgery plus adjunctive chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Hence, they report common treatment-induced problems typically faced by people treated for cancer such as fatigue, psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety [2, 3] . On top of those problems, they also suffer from specific cancer-related problems such as pain from lower limb lymphoedema in gynaecological cancer and upper limb lymphoedema in breast cancer, menopauserelated symptoms, body image disturbance, and sexual dysfunction, as well as increased risk of developing chronic conditions such as obesity, osteoporosis, and diabetes, all of which affect their capacity to return to their normal roles and functions, resulting in a lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) [2–5] . In view of the improved survival rates of women treated for FRC and its associated long-term impacts, there is an increasing demand for specialist cancer programmes that are customised to the specific needs of women being treated for FRC [6, 7] . Cancer rehabilitation p

FAQs

What was the main purpose of the pilot randomized controlled trial?

To investigate feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a theory-driven multimodal cancer rehabilitation intervention among Hong Kong Chinese women treated for female reproductive cancers.

What did the intervention group receive during the study?

A 12-week program including 30 app-based health education modules and three nurse-led individual counselling sessions.

Which outcomes were measured and at which time points?

Sense of coherence, health-related quality of life, and cancer-specific distress were measured at baseline (T0), immediately after completion (T1), and 12 weeks post-intervention (T2).

What conclusions did the study draw about the intervention?

The program was feasible and acceptable and may improve sense of coherence, cancer-specific distress, and physical health, warranting a larger full-scale trial.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Ophelia