Exploring Pain, Quality of Life, and Emotional Well-Being in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Practicing Spiritual Meditation: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Introduction: Studies on mind-body approaches in patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are rare. We performed a pilot study with follow-up until 1 year to explore changes in pain, quality of life (QoL), stress, and negative emotions in patients with advanced PDAC, who regularly practiced a standardized form of spiritual meditation in addition to standard medical care. Methods: At baseline and every 2 months for a maximum of 1 year, global pain, QoL (global, SEIQoL, FACT-G), spiritual well-being (FACIT-Sp), perceived stress (PSQ-20), anxiety and depression (HADS), and diurnal cortisol secretion (cortisol slope) were assessed. Changes from baseline were explored by pairwise comparisons of available cases. Results: Twenty participants (11 women, 62 ± 9.9 SD years) participated in the study, of whom 9 patients survived the study year. Pairwise comparisons revealed transient improvements of pain after 4 and 6 months (both p values < 0.05), of global QoL after 4, 6, 8, 10 months (all p values < 0.05), of SeiQoL scores after 4 months (p < 0.05), of FACT-G scores after 6 months (p < 0.05), and of FACIT-Sp scores after 2 and 6 months (both p values < 0.05). Furthermore, overall stress levels (PSQ-20) decreased from baseline to 2, 6, and 8 months (all p values < 0.05), and anxiety declined from baseline to 6 months (p < 0.05). Depression scores and the cortisol slope did not change. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrated the acceptability and feasibility of studies on spiritual meditation in patients with advanced PDAC. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to study the effects of spiritual meditation and other mind-body interventions on pain, QoL, and emotional well-being in this patient population.