New clinical trial at Yeovil Hospital for women having breast cancer treatment – Somerset Live

Yeovil Hospital is to participate in a new clinical trial funded by the charity Breast Cancer Now to investigate the best way to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to reduce the impact of two major side-effects for women undergoing breast cancer treatment.

Hot flushes and night sweats are common side effects of current breast cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and anti-hormone drugs.

Experienced by up to 70 per cent of women receiving treatment, they can have a huge impact on their daily lives, often affecting employment, personal relationships and general quality of life, and sometimes leading to women not completing the full course of their treatment.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is normally offered to women experiencing hot flushes as part of the menopause, unfortunately cannot be used by women with breast cancer as it can increase the risk of their disease returning.

In addition, these side effects can often be more extreme and longer lasting in women who have had breast cancer than those experienced during natural menopause.

It is therefore essential that scientists and clinicians find ways to help women undergoing breast cancer treatment reduce the impact of these side effects, to give them the best possible quality of life and help them to continue their treatment to reduce the risk of breast cancer returning.

Paula Hutchinson, aged 50, a participant of the MENOS 4 trial, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.

She said: A minute and a half of a hot flush doesnt seem long but the effect it has on my day to day life is totally overwhelming.

"Forgetfulness, irritability and lack of concentration are just three symptoms but Ive acquired a range of coping strategies to let me lead a full life.

Im very lucky to still have my pre-cancer positivity, and along with my great family I received amazing support via my Breast Care Team.

Researchers have already shown that CBT, a type of talking therapy, can help to reduce the impact that hot flushes and night sweats have on women undergoing breast cancer treatment, allowing them to regain a sense of control over these symptoms.

Although CBT is known to be effective, it is not currently offered routinely within the NHS for women with breast cancer.

At present CBT can only be given to groups by trained clinical psychologists and there is nothing currently considered a universal gold standard of care in breast cancer treatment, meaning support to help patients manage these difficult symptoms varies across the country.

Following a grant of over 300,000 by Breast Cancer Now, Professor Deborah Fenlon (Swansea University) will lead a three-year clinical trial (MENOS 4) at Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, University of Southampton to investigate whether the same CBT could be delivered effectively by local breast cancer nurses.

If so, this could significantly improve access to CBT as most women will see a breast cancer nurse during their treatment.

Yeovil Hospital is one of six UK hospitals participating in the trial, which will involve up to 160 women undergoing breast cancer treatment who are experiencing severe and frequent hot flushes or night sweats.

Half of the women will receive group CBT from a breast cancer nurse (who has been specially trained by clinical psychologists to deliver the intervention), involving six weekly sessions lasting 90 minutes each, while the other half will receive whatever support they would normally receive.

The researchers will evaluate the impact of CBT on the womens hot flushes and night sweats after 26 weeks.

In addition, group CBT sessions will be recorded and analysed by independent psychologists, to assess its effectiveness when delivered by breast cancer nurses.

A process evaluation will also be conducted to explore the ways in which breast care nurses were able to implement the group therapy, so that, if it is successful, a blueprint could be created to show how this service might be organised locally.

Any women being treated at Yeovil Hospital who are experiencing troublesome hot flushes as a side-effect of treatment are encouraged to ask their breast care nurse about the study, which is currently recruiting participants.

The support of Walk the Walk for Breast Cancer Nows Research Innovation Unit has made this research possible.

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New clinical trial at Yeovil Hospital for women having breast cancer treatment - Somerset Live