Goal is to help breast cancer survivors reduce debilitating consequences of breast cancer treatment

More than 300,000 women are diagnosed each year with breast cancer. About two-thirds of them return to their former lives without major issues or complications.

It’s the other one-third on which Professor Kathleen Lyons, ScD, OTR/L, is focused.

Lyons, who in 2021 launched the Cancer Rehabilitation (CaRe) Lab upon joining the MGH Institute’s Department of Occupational Therapy, recently received a $3.9 million, five-year RO1 grant from the National Cancer Institute. The goal of “Optimization of a Multicomponent Intervention to Foster Functional Recovery After Breast Cancer Treatment” is to develop ways to help breast cancer survivors reduce the debilitating consequences of breast cancer treatment.  

“We are particularly focusing on working with people after breast cancer treatment is done, because they have told us it’s a time when they get less support from their friends, family, and healthcare providers, and many of them feel isolated and tired as they struggle to recreate their lifestyle and routine,” said Lyons. “Our rehabilitation approach is focused on finding strategies that can help them get back to doing and enjoying the roles and activities that are most important to them.”

Lyons and her team will enroll 352 people within one year of their completing breast cancer treatment. Each person will randomly receive one in eight conditions that offer a unique combination of three intervention components: identifying personal priorities by clarifying what matters most to them, providing education to self-manage health and daily activities, and encouraging weekly goal setting, problem-solving, and action planning.

The project aims to test these remote and easy-to-access intervention strategies to determine which elements or combinations are most effective. 

“We're trying to figure out which combination of strategies gets the best results,” said Lyons. “Do you need to do all of these things or is it more efficient to focus only on one or two of them? What are the active ingredients for rehabilitation? We only want to include strategies that add value and make a difference.”

With data showing that one in eight women will get breast cancer, Lyons said a major goal of her study is to determine the most powerful and efficient rehabilitation intervention and see how it can be implemented for large numbers of survivors.

“There is a clear and urgent need for scalable, evidence-based solutions that support survivors in rebuilding their lives in meaningful and sustainable ways,” Lyons said. “Because the intervention is delivered remotely, it can be scaled to reach a broad and diverse population, including individuals with limited access to in-person services.”

For Nara Gavini, PhD, MPhil, associate provost for research, Lyons’ grant is another example of how the MGH Institute continues to expand its research portfolio that in recent years has grown to more than $50 million – the fastest-growing research sector within the Mass General Brigham system. 

“This award reflects the mission of the IHP to conduct research that is patient-centered, clinically meaningful, and capable of improving lives at scale,” he said. “Dr. Lyons’ work has the potential to improve recovery for thousands of individuals while advancing the IHP’s leadership in rehabilitation science and patient-centered care.”

Added Associate Professor Sarah McKinnon, OT, OTD, OTR, BCPR, MPA, FAOTA, FNAP, chair of the occupational therapy department, “Dr. Lyons’ work exemplifies the power of occupational therapy to drive meaningful change in people’s lives. This R01 award not only recognizes the strength of her research but also highlights the potential of her innovative approach to transform how we support functional recovery and long-term well-being for cancer survivors.”