Associations Among Sleep Latency, Subjective Pain, and Thermal Pain Sensitivity in Gynecologic Cancer

Effect of acupuncture versus usual care on sleep quality in cancer survivors with chronic pain: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Chronic pain negatively affects sleep; it is unclear whether pain relief from acupuncture contributes to sleep quality improvements in cancer survivors. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of acupuncture versus usual care on sleep quality among cancer survivors with comorbid sleep disturbance and chronic musculoskeletal pain.

METHODS

Sleep outcome data from the Personalized Electroacupuncture Versus Auricular Acupuncture Comparative Effectiveness (PEACE) randomized clinical trial were analyzed. Electroacupuncture or auricular acupuncture was compared with usual care for sleep quality improvement over 10 weeks of treatment among cancer survivors with clinically significant sleep disturbance and chronic musculoskeletal pain at baseline. Sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score.

RESULTS

Among 268 participants (mean [standard deviation (SD)] age, 61.4 [12.6] years; 191 women [71.3%]; mean [SD] baseline PSQI global score, 10.3 [3.3] points), electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture resulted in greater reductions in the PSQI global score from baseline to 10 weeks in comparison with usual care: 1.42 points (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45-2.38; p = .004) and 1.59 points (95% CI, 0.62-2.55; p = .001), respectively. The improvement in sleep quality for the acupuncture groups was sustained for 24 weeks from randomization. Furthermore, a greater proportion of patients in the electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture groups had clinically meaningful improvement in sleep quality compared to the usual care group (41.0% and 42.9% vs. 21.4%; p = .044).

CONCLUSIONS

Among cancer survivors with comorbid sleep disturbance and chronic pain, electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture produced a clinically relevant and persistent improvement in sleep quality. These findings suggest that acupuncture may be an evidence-based nonpharmacologic intervention to improve sleep health for cancer survivors with pain.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

This study analyzed the sleep quality data from a published randomized clinical trial that evaluated the effect of electroacupuncture or auricular acupuncture versus usual care on pain relief among people who survived cancer. This analysis included a prespecified subgroup of 268 participants with co-occurring sleep disturbance and chronic musculoskeletal pain at baseline and found that patients who used acupuncture for pain relief demonstrated greater improvements in sleep quality compared with patients who received usual care. Sleep quality improvement by acupuncture was sustained after the treatment ended.

Pre-Diagnosis Sleep Status and Survival after a Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objective: To explore if pre-diagnosis sleep status is associated with overall survival (OS) of ovarian cancer (OC). Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of 853 OC patients newly diagnosed between 2015 and 2020. Sleep status was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Vital status of patients was obtained through active follow-up and linkage to medical records and cancer registry. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was utilized to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for aforementioned associations. Results: During the follow-up period (median: 37.57 months, interquartile: 25.00 to 50.17 months), 123 (18.39%) OC patients died. The HR (95%CI) for OS of OC was 2.13 (1.42−3.18) for sleeping after 22:00, compared with sleeping before 22:00; 2.43 (1.64−3.62) for poor sleep quality, compared to good sleep quality; 2.26 (1.37−3.72) for late bed-early rise and 1.93 (1.09−3.42) for late bed-late rise, compared with early bed-early rise; 0.40 (0.24−0.67) for night sleep duration of ≥7.5 h/day, compared with 7−7.5 h/day; 0.53 (0.29−0.98) for total sleep duration of ≥8 h/day, compared with 7.5−8 h/day. Further, the interaction effects were significant between residual lesions and wake-up time, night bedtime, sleep pattern, and between total sleep duration and menopausal status, parity. Additionally, there was a significant curvilinear association between PSQI score and OS (p nonlinear <0.05). Conclusions: Pre-diagnosis longer total and night sleep duration were associated with better OS, whereas later sleeping time, poor sleep quality, and bad sleep patterns were associated with poor OS among OC survivors.

Distinct sleep disturbance profiles among patients with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE

In a sample of patients with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy, we sought to identify subgroups of patients with distinct sleep disturbance profiles and assess for differences in patient characteristics and the severity of co-occurring symptoms among these subgroups.

METHODS

Adults with gynecologic cancer (n = 232) completed questionnaires six times over two chemotherapy cycles. Sleep disturbance was assessed using the General Sleep Disturbance Scale (GSDS). Clinically meaningful sleep disturbance was defined as a GSDS total score of ≥43. Subgroups of patients with distinct sleep disturbance profiles were identified using latent profile analysis. Differences in patient characteristics and co-occurring symptoms were assessed using Chi-square, Kruskal Wallis, and one-way analysis of variance.

RESULTS

Four distinct sleep disturbance profiles were identified: Low (18.5%), Moderate (43.6%), High (29.3%), and Very High (8.6%). Compared to the Low class, patients in the other three classes had lower functional status scores and higher levels of depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, and morning and evening fatigue. Compared to the Low class, patients in the Very High class were younger, had a higher body mass index, and were more likely to report a diagnosis of depression or back pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Over 80% of the patients with gynecologic cancer reported sleep disturbance that persisted over two cycles of chemotherapy. Patients in the Very High class experienced problems with both sleep initiation and maintenance. Clinicians should routinely assess sleep disturbance alongside depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Interventions that target the underlying mechanisms of these co-occurring symptoms are warranted.

The Association Between Dry Eye Disease With Depression, Anxiety and Sleep Disturbance During COVID-19

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dry eye disease (DED) with anxiety and depression. Additionally, the mediating effect of sleep quality on this relationship was explored. Methods: 321 patients with DED were recruited from Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital clinic and surveyed using demographic questionnaires, the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Regression analysis and the bootstrap method were used to investigate the influence of sleep on the relationship between DED, anxiety and depression. Results: Among the patients with DED, 86 (26.79%), 85 (26.48%), and 54 (16.82%) patients presented with anxiety, depression, and both anxiety and depression respectively. The OSDI and PSQI score were positively correlated with depression and anxiety (all p < 0.01). The direct effects of OSDI on depression and anxiety were significant (P < 0.01). Additionally, the bootstrap test showed significant mediating effects of subjective sleep quality [95% CI [0.003-0.016] (depression); [0.001-0.011] (anxiety)] and sleep latency [95% CI [0.001-0.010] (depression); [0.001-0.008] (anxiety)]. These results indicated that the severity of DED symptoms, as measured by the OSDI score, affected anxiety and depression through a direct and an indirect pathway mediated by subjective sleep quality and sleep latency. Conclusions: The results indicated that there was a significant correlation between DED and anxiety and depression. Moreover, subjective sleep quality and sleep latency were a mediator of the relationship between DED symptoms and anxiety and depression.