Improvement in patient-reported outcomes after group poetry therapy in women with breast cancer

Background: One of the best ways of achieving the patients’ views and expectations about the effects of a therapeutic or palliative intervention on their quality of life is using Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). Poetry therapy as a psychotherapy intervention has been used for palliation of stressful conditions of several chronic diseases and disabilities. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of group poetry therapy on the quality of life measures in women with breast cancer.Methods: A total of ۳۰ women with breast cancer, undergoing chemotherapy at a referral center in the north of Iran, participated in the current quasi-experimental before-after study conducted in ۲۰۱۶. The study protocol included eight weekly sessions of group poetry therapy using poems from the great Persian poets. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ-C۳۰) was completed by the patients before beginning group poetry therapy and, twice more, one week and two months after the last session. Items of the questionnaire were manually scored and then analyzed using appropriate statistical tests in IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version ۲۱.۰. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.Results: A total of ۲۸ patients participated in all the group poetry therapy sessions and completed the questionnaire. The mean and standard deviation of age were ۴۵±۶۶. The changes in the score of quality of life from ۵۱.۸ to ۶۵.۵ and ۶۹ were observed to be significant in the one-week and two-month follow ups (both with P=۰.۰۰۲). Also, changes in symptom score from ۳۴.۵ to ۲۳.۷ (P=۰.۰۱) and functional score from ۶۵.۶ to ۷۷.۲ (P=۰.۰۱) in the two-month follow up were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that group poetry therapy, as a psychotherapy approach, can be used to improve quality of life in breast cancer patients.

Keywords:

Breast Neoplasms , Cancer , Group therapy Poetry , Quality of life , Psychotherapy