A study to find out if writing can help people with breast cancer who have hair loss from chemotherapy

Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.

Cancer type:

Breast cancer

Status:

Closed

Phase:

Other

This study is to find out if expressive writing can help people with breast cancer who have hair loss from chemotherapy.

Doctors use chemotherapy to treat breast cancer. One of the side effects of chemotherapy can be hair loss.

In this study the researchers want to find out if writing about their thoughts and feelings can help people cope with hair loss from chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Who can enter

You may be able to join this study if are going to the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre and all of the following apply. You

Have breast cancer
Have hair loss caused by chemotherapy
Have already had a cycle of treatment
Are at least 18 years old

You cannot join this study if any of these apply. You

Are not able to speak and write in English
Are not able to write by hand or type with a keyboard for at least 20 minutes at a time
Are already taking part in another writing study
Have a mental health problem

Trial design

The researchers need 120 people who are going to the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre to join.

This is a randomised study. The people taking part are put into 1 of 2 groups by a computer. Neither you nor your doctor will be able to decide which group you are in.

People in group 1 will write about their thoughts and feelings about their hair loss. This is the expressive writing group.

People in group 2 will write about their home, neighbourhood or city, in a matter of fact way without writing about their thoughts or feelings. This is called the neutral writing group

12072 trial diagram

You will write by hand or type for 20 minutes a day for 4 days in a row. You do this at home. The researchers will ask you to send them what you write. You don’t have to send in your writing, you can still take part in the study. If you do send them what you write, the researchers will not show what you have written to anyone else.

They will ask you to fill in a questionnaire

When you agree to take part
2 weeks later
At 1 month
At 3 months

The questionnaire takes 20 minutes to fill in. It will ask about side effects and how you’ve been feeling. This is called a quality of life study.

The researchers will send the questionnaires to you with a stamped self addressed envelope for their return. If you prefer you may be able to do the questionnaire on line. You can talk to a member of the research team about this.