Physiotherapy, Yoga and Educational Project for Patients Suffering from Pain Due to Hormone Therapy after Breast Cancer: The SKYPE Feasibility Study

Approximately 50% of breast cancer patients under hormone therapy experience osteoarticular pain, which increases the risk of treatment discontinuation and relapse. The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of yoga practice associated with patient education (PE) for at-home practice in breast cancer patients under hormone therapy. We also evaluated osteoarticular pain, flexibility and patients' satisfaction. In this study, intervention was split into two 6-week periods (P): P1 consisting of a supervised yoga-PE session of 90 minutes/week and 15-minutes of daily at-home yoga, and P2, involving daily autonomous at-home yoga sessions. Feasibility was evaluated by patient adherence defined as completion of at least 4 out of the 6 supervised yoga-PE sessions and 70% or more of the at-home yoga sessions. Evaluations (at inclusion and at the end of each period) consisted in assessment of osteoarticular pain, forward flexibility and patient satisfaction. Twenty-four women with a median age of 53 years [36-72] were included. Feasibility was validated with a successful adherence rate reaching 83%, combined with a mean satisfaction score of 10/10 [8-10]. In addition, 58% of patients reported reduced osteoarticular pain, with a 2-point reduction on the numerical rating scale. The forward flexibility also improved, with a median gain of 8 cm. Combined physiotherapy-yoga-PE intervention is a feasible strategy, increasing at-home yoga practice with potential benefit on pain, flexibility, and patient satisfaction. Evaluation of this innovative program is ongoing in a larger randomized multicenter trial.