medwireNews: The Restoring Body Image After Cancer (ReBIC) psychosocial intervention is effective for addressing body image-related concerns and quality of life in women who have received treatment for breast cancer, a Canadian trial indicates.
At the 1-year follow-up, the 104 women who were randomly assigned to receive the 8-week group intervention reported significantly less distress or concern about their body image, as well as lower levels of body stigma and breast cancer-related concerns, compared with the 53 controls.
The ReBIC group also had significantly better breast cancer-related quality of life at this timepoint, but the groups were comparable with regard to sexual functioning, Mary Jane Esplen, from the University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario, and co-investigators report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Noting that the intervention “can be easily adapted to both cancer centers and primary care settings,” they write that “ReBIC groups are offered locally in Toronto, with interest in offering it more broadly.”
The intervention involved manual-based, expert-led weekly 90-minute sessions that combined guided-imagery exercises within a group therapy approach; women were also given information about strategies for managing body image and sexual dysfunction issues. The control group received standard care and educational reading material.
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