A study looking at a support programme for women after breast cancer treatment (PROWESS)

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:

Pilot

This study is looking at a programme offering information and emotional and practical support to women after breast cancer treatment.

More about this trial

Many women find the first year after hospital treatment for breast cancer difficult both physically and emotionally.

Women have given feedback to service providers suggesting that support should be more local and aim to help women of all ages and from different backgrounds.

In this study, researchers have developed a new 5 week programme to help women who have recently finished hospital treatment for breast cancer.

The aims of the study are to find out

If the programme helps women, whatever their age, and cultural background
More about womens’ experiences of taking part in the programme
If the programme is acceptable and useful and can be looked at in a larger study

Who can enter

You may be able to join this study if you are a woman living in south London and you

Were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer
Finished having hospital treatments such as radiotherapy, surgery or chemotherapy in the last year (you may still be having hormone therapy or a biological therapy such as Herceptin (trastuzumab))
Speak and understand English
Are at least 18 years old

You cannot join this study if any of these apply

Your cancer has spread to another part of your body
You have already been on a course to help you cope such as the Breast Cancer Care’s Moving Forward course

Trial design

This is a pilot study. The researchers need 60 women to join.

The women will be put into 1 of 2 groups at random. Women in one group take part in a support programme. Women in the other group don’t take part in the programme. This is the control group Open a glossary item .

Study diagram

If you are in the support programme group, you go to group sessions led by a trained facilitator and therapist once a week for 5 weeks. The sessions last about 3 hours each time. The sessions cover

Sharing your experiences with other women who have breast cancer
Practical tips to help you cope with treatment side effects
Learning skills to manage stress and worry
Healthy eating
Local support services and managing life after treatment

You may bring a relative or friend along for support if you wish.

The study team will ask everyone to fill out a questionnaire at set times during the study. The questionnaire will ask how you are feeling both emotionally and physically. This is called a quality of life study.

The researchers may also invite you to take part in a short telephone or face to face interview. This will take about 15 minutes. The research team would like to know about your experiences in the study and what you thought about it. You don't have to give feedback if you don’t want to.

Women in the control group will have the opportunity to take part in the support programme after the study has finished.

Hospital visits

You don’t go to hospital as part of this study. The programme sessions take place in the south London area. The study team will tell you more about where they will be.

Side effects

There are no side effects from taking part in this study. You may find it distressing to talk about issues relating to your cancer. If you do become upset, you can stop the sessions at any time.