Impact of Cardiac Coherence on Anxiety in Patients Operated on for a Peritoneal Carcinosis

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Peritoneal Carcinomatosis; Mesothelioma Peritoneum; Pseudomyxoma Peritonei
• Interventions: Other: Cardiac coherence; Other: Standard care

• Registration Number: NCT04024917
• Lead Sponsor: Institut du Cancer de Montpellier - Val d'Aurelle

Brief Summary

The investigator proposes to use the cardiac coherence technique to diminish anxiety before the surgery of a peritoneal carcinosis of colon or stomach or ovary and pseudomyxoma or peritoneal mesothelioma.

Detailed Description

Facing a Peritoneal Carcinomatosis (PC) diagnosis requires significant psychological adjustments that may generate major distress because of heavy care and a sometimes poor prognosis. Psychological distress, which most frequently results in emotional anxiety and depressive disorders, affects nearly 40% of patients in oncology. These disorders impair their quality of life, their health behaviours, their therapeutic alliance with caregivers, and represent a risk factor for mortality since access to care, lifestyle and therapeutic adherence differ. All learned societies (e.g., American Society of Clinical Oncology - ASCO), associations (e.g., Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), World Cancer Research Fund International - WCRF) and authorities (e.g., French National Institute of Cancer) recommend both the screening and treatment of this psychological distress. This complementary therapy should be integrated in the overall management of cancer patients, especially since anxiolytics (e.g., benzodiazepines) have shown limitations in clinical trials compared with placebo or standard care. Studies evaluating relevant psychological interventions to treat these disorders are rare. It is therefore essential to assess the feasibility and relevance of implementing a non-drug intervention known for its anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, to respond early and appropriately to the distress and anxiety of patients with PC before and after their surgery. Among the various existing non-drug interventions, a targeted cardiac coherence program seems promising. Cardiac coherence corresponds to a physiological state of balance of the autonomic nervous system obtained through precise and rigorous breathing exercises. Several pilot studies justify its interest in oncology. The main objective of this study is to evaluate adherence to a cardiac coherence program aimed at reducing anxiety in patients with PC awaiting cytoreductive surgery. The secondary objectives are to evaluate the implementation of this program in a cancer center, its adoption by the patients and the impact of this practice on their anxious symptomatology, immunological response and quality of life.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2019-07-15
• Study First Submitted QC: 2019-07-17
• Study First Posted: 2019-07-18
• Study Start: 2021-09-21
• Status Verified: 2025-01
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-01-08
• Last Update Posted: 2025-01-10
• Primary Completion: 2025-12
• Study Completion: 2025-12

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 60

Inclusion Criteria

1. Age over 18 years
2. Patients with peritoneal carcinosis awaiting cytoreductive surgery
3. Patients who scored strictly above 3 on the visual analogue anxiety scale and/or the psychological distress scale
4. Patients with sufficient command of the French language
5. Patient affiliated to a French social security system
6. Patient hospitalized at the Institute of cancer of Montpellier the day before his cytoreductive surgery (at T1 = D-1)
7. Signing of informed consent before any specific trial procedure

Exclusion Criteria

1. Patients who already have daily practice of cardiac coherence
2. Presence of proven psychiatric disorders (e.g., mental retardation, psychotic disorders, learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity, bipolar disorder, etc.) other than mood disorders that are reactive to the disease experience, or receiving psychotic treatment that may impair thinking, judgment or discernment
3. Physical or sensory inability to respond to questionnaires
4. Patients who have had a heart transplant or bypass surgery in the Year before surgery
5. Patient with a history of uncontrolled neurological pathology within the last 6 months before inclusion in the trial
6. Patients with a history of psychoactive substance dependence (excluding smoking) in the last 6 months before inclusion in the trial
7. Patients with brain metastases
8. Known natural bradycardia 50 beats per minute
9. Beta-blocker intake in progress
10. Ongoing cardiac arrhythmias
11. Known severe heart failure with ventricular ejection fraction strictly Below 40 %
12. Chronic uncontrolled pain and making it difficult to practice the technique
13. Patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
14. Legal incapacity (patient under guardianship or curatorship)

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Coherence cardiac	Cardiac coherence	-
Standard care	Standard care	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Cardiac Coherence Program Adherence Rate	Around 10 days	Cardiac Coherence Program Adherence Rate. Patients are considered in "success" adhere to the program) if they will perform at least 20 of the 30 sessions scheduled until surgery (minimum 1 practice per day).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Anxiety and depression by using the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS)	90 days	One subscale for evaluation of anxiety from 0 (lower anxiety) to 21 (higher anxiety) and the other subscale for depression from 0 (lower anxiety) to 21 (higher depression)
Generalized anxiety by using Freeston's uncertainty tolerance scale	90 days	The scale is used to identify people with generalized anxiety disorder compared to people with other anxiety disorders or people without pathologies. Range is from 27 (lower uncertainty) to 135 (higher uncertainty)
Concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A	90 days
Number of cardiac coherence sessions per day and by patient	Through the study, an average of 1 year
Feedback from the instructor and investigator	90 days
Heart rate variability	90 days	The heart rate variability is determined by using the software EmWave Pro which measures the ratio low frequencies/high frequencies.
Psychological distress scale	90 days	This scale measures the psychological distress of the patient . Psychological distress is characterized by the presence of symptoms, most often depressive or anxious.It's a visual analogue scale which is also known as linear analogue scale. These scales require respondents to place a mark on a line on which opposing statements or descriptions are placed at either end of a line. The position of the mark on the top is the higher psychological distress and at the bottom the lower psychological distress.
Subjective anxiety score by using the state-trait anxiety inventory form A (STAI-Y form A) questionnaire	90 days	State anxiety reflects the current emotional state, which allows the patient's nervousness and worry to be assessed during the session. The range is from 20 (lower anxiety) to 80 (higher anxiety). The patient must answer 20 questions for each part, each answer being on a 4 point Likert scale.
Recruitment and retention rates	1 year
Reasons of non-participation reported by patients and registered in the form of inclusion	Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Subjective anxiety score by using the state-trait anxiety inventory form B (STAI-Y form B) questionnaire	90 days	Trait anxiety reflects the usual emotional state. The range is from 20 (lower anxiety) to 80 (higher anxiety).The patient must answer 20 questions for each part, each answer being on a 4 point Likert scale
Anxiety by using the visual analogue scale (VAS)	90 days	This scale measures the anxiety of patient. It's a visual analogue scale which is also known as linear analogue scale. These scales require respondents to place a mark on a line on which opposing statements or descriptions are placed at either end of a (usually) 10 cm line. The points at which respondents make their mark represent where they perceive their answer to lie in this continuum. The distance between their mark and one end (or the mid-point) of the scale is recorded. The position on the left being the absence of anxiety and the position on the right an unbearable anxiety.
Quality of life by using the quality of life questionnaire score (QLQ-C30)	90 days	The EORTC QLQ-C30 uses for the questions 1 to 28 a 4-point scale. The scale scores from 1 to 4: 1 ("Not at all"), 2 ("A little"), 3 ("Quite a bit") and 4 ("Very much"). Half points are not allowed. The range is 3. For the raw score, less points are considered to have a better outcome.; The EORTC QLQ-C30 uses for the questions 29 and 30 a 7-points scale. The scale scores from 1 to 7: 1 ("very poor") to 7 ("excellent"). Half points are not allowed. The range is 6. First of all, raw score has to be calculated with mean values. Afterwards linear transformation is performed to be comparable. More points are considered to have a better outcome.
Number of days of hospitalization after surgery	1 month
Pain by using the visual analogue scale (VAS)	90 days	This scale measures the pain of patient. It's a visual analogue scale which is also known as linear analogue scale. These scales require respondents to place a mark on a line on which opposing statements or descriptions are placed at either end of a (usually) 10 cm line. The points at which respondents make their mark represent where they perceive their answer to lie in this continuum. The distance between their mark and one end (or the mid-point) of the scale is recorded. The position on the left being the absence of pain and the position on the right an unbearable pain.
Number of patients satisfied with the cardiac coherence program	90 days
Composite anxiety symptomatology score	90 days	Score including psychological, physiological and biological variables
Duration of cardiac coherence sessions in minutes	Through study completion, an average of 1 year

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

ICM; 🇫🇷 Montpellier, Hérault, France