Breast NeoplasmsNCT00179634
Study of Fine Art Photographs and Visualization Tapes to Improve Surgical Recovery in Breast Cancer
A study testing Visualization relaxation and Visual Milieu Enhancement (Fine art photograph) in people with Breast Neoplasms, run by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This is a study to assess whether healing suggestions and enhancing visual milieu (large fine art photographs) will improve mental and physical measures of well-being and recovery from surgery. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older, women only
- Conditions the study is for
- Breast Neoplasms
- What is being tested?
- Visualization relaxation and Visual Milieu Enhancement (Fine art photograph)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 24 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Mar 2005to 27 Mar 2008
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- Women only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Diagnosis of stage 0, I, or II breast cancer
- Skin sparing mastectomy with transverse rectus abdominal muscle (TRAM) or deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap reconstruction planned
- Ability to give informed consent
- Working knowledge of English
Who cannot join
- Physical inability to comply to study protocol
- Diabetes
- Current smokers
- Acute psychosis
- Mental retardation
- Language barriers
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
About this study
Official title: Using Visual Milieu Enrichment and Guided Visualization to Augment Patient Well-being and Post-surgical Recovery
This is a study to assess whether healing suggestions and enhancing visual milieu (large fine art photographs) will improve mental and physical measures of well-being and recovery from surgery. The study will compare breast cancer patients undergoing identical skin sparing mastectomy and reconstruction surgery randomized to three groups:
- Usual care control group
- Usual care and exposure to fine art photograph
- Usual care and fine art photograph and guided visualization tapes.
Read the detailed description
In the course of surgical procedures and hospitalization, patients are stressed not only by the discomforts and anxieties associated with their illness and treatment but also by the sterile, intimidating medical environment, with no access to the natural environment. Clinical studies from environmental medicine have suggested that during hospital confinement patients benefit from visually pleasing décor. Enhancing the medical milieu can alleviate patient anxiety and discomfort as well as improve markers of stress such as blood pressure and requirement for analgesics. In addition, research has shown the effectiveness of stress reduction approaches such as Relaxation Response, Guided Imagery, and Hypnosis in mediating clinical psychophysiology overall. Such studies have also shown the lowering of stress levels, inducing faster recovery from surgical anesthesia and perhaps even speeding physical healing overall. Use of these techniques has been shown to give people a greater sense of self-control as well and reduce stress reactions that affect health.
The proposed study represents the next step testing clinical efficacy of a behavioral medicine intervention with breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. The current study extends prior research on accelerating healing outcomes through the use of non-pharmacological mental interventions. One prior study demonstrated accelerated bone fracture healing using hypnosis in otherwise healthy young adults. A second study showed enhanced post-surgical wound healing in healthy women undergoing reduction mammoplasty. The current study will generate new data about enhancing outcomes for breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy and reconstruction. The goal of the trial is to determine whether these ancillary treatments enhance psychological and physical post-surgical recovery as compared to usual care only. The study provides an upside potential to enhance patient well being and to accelerate post-surgical recovery with minimal risk. Should significant positive findings result from this study, it will constitute a pilot test of such modifications of the healthcare delivery environment with an eye toward stimulating greater patient well being and shorter length of stay.
- Conditions
- Breast Neoplasms
- Being tested
- Visualization relaxation, Visual Milieu Enhancement (Fine art photograph)
- Keywords
- Mastectomy, Randomized Controlled Trial, Imagery
- Medical subject headings
- Breast Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Visualization relaxationBehavioural
Visual Milieu Enhancement (Fine art photograph)Behavioural
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No intervention | Usual Care |
| 2 | Experimental | Usual care and exposure to a visually enriched milieu (landscape photograph) Receives: Behavioral: Visual Milieu Enhancement (Fine art photograph) |
| 3 | Experimental | Usual care, exposure to a visually enriched milieu and audio taped guided visualization with healing suggestions. Receives: Behavioral: Visualization relaxation; Behavioral: Visual Milieu Enhancement (Fine art photograph) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Mood disturbance (Profile of Mood States short form)
Measured: 4 weeks
Post-operative pain
Measured: 4 weeks
Presence of skin necrosis
Measured: 4 weeks
Presence of hematoma
Measured: 4 weeks
Presence of infection
Measured: 4 weeks
Length of hospital stay
Measured: 4 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted16 Sep 2005 (estimated)
- Study startMar 2005
- Primary completion27 Mar 2008
- Study completion27 Mar 2008
Why it stopped: Expired for lack of continuing review
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (14)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Breast NeoplasmsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 24 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, James Rodrigue, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Investigators
- Susan L Troyan, MD, Principal investigator, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00179634
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2004P000115
- Other IDs
- West
- Status last verified
- Mar 2017
- First submitted
- 13 Sep 2005
- Last updated
- 24 Mar 2017
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Hartig T, Evans GW, Jammer LD, Davis DS, Garling T. Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings. Journal of Environmental Psychology 23:109-23, 2003
Diette GB, Lechtzin N, Haponik E, Devrotes A, Rubin HR. Distraction therapy with nature sights and sounds reduces pain during flexible bronchoscopy: a complementary approach to routine analgesia. Chest. 2003 Mar;123(3):941-8. doi: 10.1378/chest.123.3.941.
PubMed 12628899Lembo T, Fitzgerald L, Matin K, Woo K, Mayer EA, Naliboff BD. Audio and visual stimulation reduces patient discomfort during screening flexible sigmoidoscopy. Am J Gastroenterol. 1998 Jul;93(7):1113-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.1998.00339.x.
PubMed 9672340Tusek DL, Church JM, Strong SA, Grass JA, Fazio VW. Guided imagery: a significant advance in the care of patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. Dis Colon Rectum. 1997 Feb;40(2):172-8. doi: 10.1007/BF02054983.
PubMed 9075752Blankfield RP. Suggestion, relaxation, and hypnosis as adjuncts in the care of surgery patients: a review of the literature. Am J Clin Hypn. 1991 Jan;33(3):172-86. doi: 10.1080/00029157.1991.10402927.
PubMed 2012007Benson H, Friedman R. Harnessing the power of the placebo effect and renaming it "remembered wellness". Annu Rev Med. 1996;47:193-9. doi: 10.1146/annurev.med.47.1.193.
PubMed 8712773Ewin DM.The effect of hypnosis and mental set on major surgery and burns. Psychiatric Annals 16:115-118, 1986.
Halpin LS, Speir AM, CapoBianco P, Barnett SD. Guided imagery in cardiac surgery. Outcomes Manag. 2002 Jul-Sep;6(3):132-7.
PubMed 12134377Hoffman JW, Benson H, Arns PA, Stainbrook GL, Landsberg GL, Young JB, Gill A. Reduced sympathetic nervous system responsivity associated with the relaxation response. Science. 1982 Jan 8;215(4529):190-2. doi: 10.1126/science.7031901.
PubMed 7031901Holden-Lund C. Effects of relaxation with guided imagery on surgical stress and wound healing. Res Nurs Health. 1988 Aug;11(4):235-44. doi: 10.1002/nur.4770110405.
PubMed 3043570Lang EV, Benotsch EG, Fick LJ, Lutgendorf S, Berbaum ML, Berbaum KS, Logan H, Spiegel D. Adjunctive non-pharmacological analgesia for invasive medical procedures: a randomised trial. Lancet. 2000 Apr 29;355(9214):1486-90. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02162-0.
PubMed 10801169Glaser R, Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Marucha PT, MacCallum RC, Laskowski BF, Malarkey WB. Stress-related changes in proinflammatory cytokine production in wounds. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1999 May;56(5):450-6. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.56.5.450.
PubMed 10232300Ginandes CS, Rosenthal DI. Using hypnosis to accelerate the healing of bone fractures: a randomized controlled pilot study. Altern Ther Health Med. 1999 Mar;5(2):67-75.
PubMed 10069091Ginandes C, Brooks P, Sando W, Jones C, Aker J. Can medical hypnosis accelerate post-surgical wound healing? Results of a clinical trial. Am J Clin Hypn. 2003 Apr;45(4):333-51. doi: 10.1080/00029157.2003.10403546.
PubMed 12722936
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Mar 2017. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Using Visual Milieu Enrichment and Guided Visualization to Augment Patient Well-being and Post-surgical Recovery
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00179634
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2004P000115
- Conditions
- Breast Neoplasms
- Keywords
- Mastectomy, Randomized Controlled Trial, Imagery
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- TerminatedReason stopped: Expired for lack of continuing review
- Enrolment
- 24 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Mar 2005
- Primary completion
- 27 Mar 2008 (actual)
- Study completion
- 27 Mar 2008 (actual)
- First posted
- 16 Sep 2005 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This is a study to assess whether healing suggestions and enhancing visual milieu (large fine art photographs) will improve mental and physical measures of well-being and recovery from surgery. The study will compare breast cancer patients undergoing identical skin sparing mastectomy and reconstruction surgery randomized to three groups:
- Usual care control group
- Usual care and exposure to fine art photograph
- Usual care and fine art photograph and guided visualization tapes.
Detailed description
In the course of surgical procedures and hospitalization, patients are stressed not only by the discomforts and anxieties associated with their illness and treatment but also by the sterile, intimidating medical environment, with no access to the natural environment. Clinical studies from environmental medicine have suggested that during hospital confinement patients benefit from visually pleasing décor. Enhancing the medical milieu can alleviate patient anxiety and discomfort as well as improve markers of stress such as blood pressure and requirement for analgesics. In addition, research has shown the effectiveness of stress reduction approaches such as Relaxation Response, Guided Imagery, and Hypnosis in mediating clinical psychophysiology overall. Such studies have also shown the lowering of stress levels, inducing faster recovery from surgical anesthesia and perhaps even speeding physical healing overall. Use of these techniques has been shown to give people a greater sense of self-control as well and reduce stress reactions that affect health.
The proposed study represents the next step testing clinical efficacy of a behavioral medicine intervention with breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. The current study extends prior research on accelerating healing outcomes through the use of non-pharmacological mental interventions. One prior study demonstrated accelerated bone fracture healing using hypnosis in otherwise healthy young adults. A second study showed enhanced post-surgical wound healing in healthy women undergoing reduction mammoplasty. The current study will generate new data about enhancing outcomes for breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy and reconstruction. The goal of the trial is to determine whether these ancillary treatments enhance psychological and physical post-surgical recovery as compared to usual care only. The study provides an upside potential to enhance patient well being and to accelerate post-surgical recovery with minimal risk. Should significant positive findings result from this study, it will constitute a pilot test of such modifications of the healthcare delivery environment with an eye toward stimulating greater patient well being and shorter length of stay.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No intervention | –Usual Care |
| 2 | Experimental | Behavioral: Visual Milieu Enhancement (Fine art photograph)Usual care and exposure to a visually enriched milieu (landscape photograph) |
| 3 | Experimental | Behavioral: Visualization relaxation, Behavioral: Visual Milieu Enhancement (Fine art photograph)Usual care, exposure to a visually enriched milieu and audio taped guided visualization with healing suggestions. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Diagnosis of stage 0, I, or II breast cancer
- Skin sparing mastectomy with transverse rectus abdominal muscle (TRAM) or deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap reconstruction planned
- Ability to give informed consent
- Working knowledge of English
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Physical inability to comply to study protocol
- Diabetes
- Current smokers
- Acute psychosis
- Mental retardation
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Visualization relaxation | Behavioural | 3 |
| Visual Milieu Enhancement (Fine art photograph) | Behavioural | 2, 3 |
Primary outcome
Mood disturbance (Profile of Mood States short form)
Time frame: 4 weeks
Post-operative pain
Time frame: 4 weeks
Presence of skin necrosis
Time frame: 4 weeks
Presence of hematoma
Time frame: 4 weeks
Presence of infection
Time frame: 4 weeks
Length of hospital stay
Time frame: 4 weeks
Results and safety
The study was stopped early (reason given: Expired for lack of continuing review). Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Mar 2017.
- BackgroundHartig T, Evans GW, Jammer LD, Davis DS, Garling T. Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings. Journal of Environmental Psychology 23:109-23, 2003
- Background: PubMed 12628899Diette GB, Lechtzin N, Haponik E, Devrotes A, Rubin HR. Distraction therapy with nature sights and sounds reduces pain during flexible bronchoscopy: a complementary approach to routine analgesia. Chest. 2003 Mar;123(3):941-8. doi: 10.1378/chest.123.3.941.
- Background: PubMed 9672340Lembo T, Fitzgerald L, Matin K, Woo K, Mayer EA, Naliboff BD. Audio and visual stimulation reduces patient discomfort during screening flexible sigmoidoscopy. Am J Gastroenterol. 1998 Jul;93(7):1113-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.1998.00339.x.
- Background: PubMed 9075752Tusek DL, Church JM, Strong SA, Grass JA, Fazio VW. Guided imagery: a significant advance in the care of patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. Dis Colon Rectum. 1997 Feb;40(2):172-8. doi: 10.1007/BF02054983.
- Background: PubMed 2012007Blankfield RP. Suggestion, relaxation, and hypnosis as adjuncts in the care of surgery patients: a review of the literature. Am J Clin Hypn. 1991 Jan;33(3):172-86. doi: 10.1080/00029157.1991.10402927.
- Background: PubMed 8712773Benson H, Friedman R. Harnessing the power of the placebo effect and renaming it "remembered wellness". Annu Rev Med. 1996;47:193-9. doi: 10.1146/annurev.med.47.1.193.
- BackgroundEwin DM.The effect of hypnosis and mental set on major surgery and burns. Psychiatric Annals 16:115-118, 1986.
- Background: PubMed 12134377Halpin LS, Speir AM, CapoBianco P, Barnett SD. Guided imagery in cardiac surgery. Outcomes Manag. 2002 Jul-Sep;6(3):132-7.
- Background: PubMed 7031901Hoffman JW, Benson H, Arns PA, Stainbrook GL, Landsberg GL, Young JB, Gill A. Reduced sympathetic nervous system responsivity associated with the relaxation response. Science. 1982 Jan 8;215(4529):190-2. doi: 10.1126/science.7031901.
- Background: PubMed 3043570Holden-Lund C. Effects of relaxation with guided imagery on surgical stress and wound healing. Res Nurs Health. 1988 Aug;11(4):235-44. doi: 10.1002/nur.4770110405.
- Background: PubMed 10801169Lang EV, Benotsch EG, Fick LJ, Lutgendorf S, Berbaum ML, Berbaum KS, Logan H, Spiegel D. Adjunctive non-pharmacological analgesia for invasive medical procedures: a randomised trial. Lancet. 2000 Apr 29;355(9214):1486-90. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02162-0.
- Background: PubMed 10232300Glaser R, Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Marucha PT, MacCallum RC, Laskowski BF, Malarkey WB. Stress-related changes in proinflammatory cytokine production in wounds. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1999 May;56(5):450-6. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.56.5.450.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Susan L Troyan, MD principal investigator
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Visualization relaxation and Visual Milieu Enhancement (Fine art photograph) in people with Breast Neoplasms, run by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Mar 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study was stopped early (reason given: Expired for lack of continuing review). Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Mood disturbance (Profile of Mood States short form) (time frame: 4 weeks). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00179634, which also lists 14 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Mar 2017; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.