Targeting Fear of Cancer Recurrence with Internet-Based Emotional Freedom Techniques (iEFT) and Mindfulness Meditation Intervention (iMMI) (BGOG-gyn1b/REMOTE)

Abstract

Approximately one-third of cancer survivors report a need for professional help to cope with Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR). In the REMOTE trial, we aim to investigate the efficacy of two internet-based mind-body techniques to address this currently unmet medical need. Cancer survivors, screened using the Cancer Worry Scale (CWS), are randomly assigned to one of the three study groups: (1) internet-based emotional freedom techniques (iEFT) (n = 113), (2) an active control condition internet-based mindfulness meditation intervention (iMMI) (n = 113), or (3) a wait-list control group (WLC) (n = 113). The interventions iEFT and iMMI are conducted remotely using Microsoft Teams (Microsoft, Redmond, WA), and participants have access to an online platform via the MyNexuzHealth application (nexuzhealth NV, Hasselt, Belgium). The primary endpoint is the level of FCR. Secondary outcomes are emotional distress and quality of life (QoL). If iEFT and/or iMMI appear to be effective in reducing FCR, they could be readily implemented in clinical practice.

Keywords: emotional freedom techniques; fear of cancer recurrence; internet-based interventions; mindfulness meditation.

Figure 1

Diagram of planned study flow.

Figure 2

Head, torso, and hand acupressure points involved in the application of EFT (Figure adapted from Church et al. [29]). The process starts with a ‘Setup Statement’ while performing acupoint tapping on the side of the hand. For the remainder of the process, patients gently tap with two fingers on head and torso points while repeating the ‘Reminder Phrase’.