A Randomized Controlled Trial of Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Breast Cancer Patients With Climacteric Symptoms

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the Netherlands, with approximately 14.000 new cases reported in 2011 (1). Nearly 30% of all women with breast cancer are premenopausal at the time of diagnosis (2). Ovarian damage is a major long-term sequela of chemotherapy in premenopausal women (3,4). Ovarian failure induced by chemotherapy and/or endocrine treatment leads to an earlier onset of menopause, with age and duration of treatment being its strongest predictors (5).

Premature menopause is a major concern of younger women undergoing (adjuvant/preventive) therapy for cancer (6). Primary menopausal symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, dysuria and urinary incontinence. Secondary symptoms include insomnia due to night sweats, dyspareunia because of vaginal dryness, weight gain, and psychological distress (3,7,8). Previous studies have indicated that the severity of hot flushes is increased in women who experience transition into menopause during cancer treatment or after PBSO, compared to women going through natural menopause (9,10,11).

Among menopausal symptoms, hot flushes are considered to be the most disruptive, with prevalence rates between 63% and 80% in breast cancer patients (7,12-15). Moreover, vasomotor symptoms are an important reason why some women discontinue tamoxifen treatment (16,17). Hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) is highly effective in alleviating vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause (18). However, HRT is contraindicated in women with a history of breast cancer (19), even after prophylactic bilateral salpingo oophorectomy (PBSO) (20).

There is increasing evidence that behavioral interventions have a positive impact on symptoms in women with naturally occurring and treatment-induced menopause (21-27). A cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention including information about symptoms, monitoring and modifying precipitants, relaxation and stress management, cognitive restructuring of unhelpful assumptions and automatic thoughts, and encouraging helpful behavioral strategies has been found to be beneficial in the alleviation of menopausal symptoms in women with breast cancer (25,26), but compliance with face-to-face CBT programs can be problematic (26). A promising approach is to make this form of CBT more accessible and feasible for participants by having it available via the internet. Although the efficacy of CBT for this patient population has been demonstrated in the form of face-to-face group therapy, its efficacy has not been investigated when delivered via an internet platform in an individual setting.

Design. For this trial patients will be recruited from several hospitals in the Netherlands (predominantly Amsterdam region). Participants will be randomly allocated to either the guided intervention group, the self-management group or the control group (N = 83 per group). Upon completion of the study, the patients assigned to the control group will be given the opportunity to undergo the internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy program.