A combined perioperative program improved mood and sleep after rectal cancer surgery
An exploratory randomized trial found better symptom scores with a package of behavioral, sleep and circadian care; survival findings remain preliminary.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The combined program improved depressive symptoms and sleep quality more than standard care at the primary follow-up. It included several behavioral approaches, sleep therapy and melatonin, so the study cannot isolate any component's contribution. Inflammation and gastrointestinal recovery also favored the program, while exploratory survival findings are too uncertain to establish a survival benefit.
The abstract gives no numerical changes in the primary symptom scores. Survival analyses lacked power for definitive conclusions, and the combined intervention cannot identify which component accounted for symptom improvements.
What researchers found
Depression symptoms and sleep quality
Combined program versus standard care at 6 months, assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; score changes were not reported.
Testing a combined program
The package included mindfulness, feedback-based emotion regulation, insomnia therapy, melatonin and circadian scheduling. The trial therefore addresses the whole program in this surgical population, rather than individual sleep treatments or supplements.
Cancer outcomes remain exploratory
Lower inflammatory markers and faster gastrointestinal recovery were secondary findings. Preliminary disease-free survival results need confirmation in larger trials; changes in inflammatory markers alone do not establish better cancer outcomes.
The original publication
Circadian and gut-brain axis modulation is associated with neuroimmune and symptom recovery after rectal cancer surgery: An exploratory randomized controlled trial.
Pan S, Wang G
Behav Res Ther · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41418645
- Record checked
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