Dyadic Yoga for Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemoradiation and their Family Caregivers

Concurrent chemoradiation to treat head and neck cancer (HNC) may result in debilitating toxicities. Targeted exercise such as yoga therapy may buffer against treatment-related sequelae; thus, this pilot RCT examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a yoga intervention. Because family caregivers report low caregiving efficacy and elevated levels of distress, we included them in this trial as active study participants.

HNC patients and their caregivers were randomized to a 15-session dyadic yoga program or a waitlist control (WLC) group. Prior to randomization, patients completed standard symptom (MDASI-HN) and patients and caregivers completed quality of life (SF-36) assessments. The 15-session program was delivered parallel to patients' treatment schedules. Participants were re-assessed at patients' last day of chemoradiation and again 30 days later. Patients' emergency department visits, unplanned hospital admissions and gastric feeding tube placements were recorded over the treatment course and up to 30 days later.

With a consent rate of 76%, 37 dyads were randomized. Participants in the yoga group completed a mean of 12.5 sessions and rated the program as "beneficial." Patients in the yoga group had clinically significantly less symptom interference and HNC symptom severity and better QOL than those in the WLC group. They were also less likely to have a hospital admission (OR = 3.00), emergency department visit (OR = 2.14), and/or a feeding tube placement (OR = 1.78).

Yoga therapy appears to be a feasible, acceptable, and possibly efficacious behavioral supportive care strategy for HNC patients undergoing chemoradiation. A larger efficacy trial is warranted.