Title Changes in Stress Reduction Following a 28-Day Prostate Cancer Patient Empowerment Program (PC-PEP) among Prostate Cancer Survivors.
Author Burge, Laura; Ilie, Gabriela; MacDonald, Cody; Riel, Hayley; Rutledge, Rob David Harold
Journal Curr Oncol Publication Year/Month 2023-Aug
PMID 37754492 PMCID PMC10528192
Affiliation + expend 1.Undergraduate Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada.

Prostate cancer (PCa) survivors often experience post-treatment challenges that impact their well-being and mental health. The Prostate Cancer Patient Empowerment Program (PC-PEP) aims to address these issues through a comprehensive intervention, involving daily meditation/breathing exercises, physical activity, pelvic floor exercises, emotional connection strategies, and peer support. This study presents a secondary analysis of a Phase 2 feasibility study that evaluated the effects of a 28-day PC-PEP intervention on stress reduction. Thirty patients with PCa from the Maritimes, Canada, underwent pre- and post-intervention assessments to measure brainwave activity (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma) using the Muse headband, and heart rate variability (HRV) using the HeartMath((R)) Inner Balance as indicators of stress reduction. A statistically significant Time x Sensor Scalp Assessment Time interaction emerged for all brain waves. Amplitudes were generally higher during the first half of the meditation assessment time but became comparable afterward. A statistically significant Time x Sensor Scalp Location x Sensor Scalp Assessment Time interaction also emerged for alpha waves, indicating higher prefrontal lobe amplitudes than temporal lobe amplitudes from pre- to post-assessment. There were no statistically significant differences in HRV metrics from pre- to post-intervention, except for a marginally significant achievement score, indicating increased HRV coherence post-intervention. The findings suggest that the stress reduction component of PC-PEP successfully improved outcomes related to decreased stress. These results have implications for the development of future iterations of PC-PEP interventions, aiming to optimize participant benefits.

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