Goal attainment scaling with a dance-based intervention for breast cancer survivors with CIPN: pilot study

Research Objectives: To examine the feasibility and clinical utility of goal attainment scaling (GAS) following a rhythmically entrained dance-based intervention among breast cancer survivors with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.

Design: Within-subject uncontrolled pilot intervention study.

Setting: Outpatient oncology (recruitment); community (intervention)

Participants: Eight women (mean age: 65.64 years; SD: 8.5) with breast cancer and chemotherapy-induced neuropathy

Interventions: Rhythmically entrained partnered Argentine Tango dance (AdapTango) twice weekly for 8 weeks. Movement-to-music dose was approximately 15 minutes per session.

Main Outcome Measures: Goal attainment scaling (GAS). Participants were interviewed using the GAS at baseline, and 3-4 individualized goals were established for each participant in the following categories: balance, neuropathy, fatigue, and other. Each goal was measured pre/post intervention using a 5-point scale ranging from -2 to +2 and developed through collaboration with participants. Scores were converted into overall T-scores (unweighted).

Results: Two participants discontinued intervention due to scheduling challenges; six (>50%) completed intervention, establishing feasibility for the protocol[2]. Across all participants, goals focused on balance (29.6%), neuropathy (29.6%), fatigue (26%), and other (15%). A paired-samples t-test detected improvement in the level of functioning of individualized goals post-intervention, t(5)= -5.53, p= 0.003, d= 2.26. Across all participants, the mean for change on GAS T-scores was 27.72, SD= 12.30, and change scores ranged from 9.1 to 43.5.

Conclusions: Results suggest that the GAS shows preliminary feasibility, clinical utility, and sensitivity to change in evaluating individualized goals following a dance-based intervention among breast cancer survivors with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. These pilot results suggest that AdapTango resulted in improved everyday functioning across participants in the areas of balance, fatigue, and neuropathy. The effect size for GAS is large. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to validate these findings.

Author(s) Disclosures: The authors have nothing to disclose.