The Relationship Between Relaxation or Wheat Germ Juice to the Immune Indices and Quality of Life (QoL) in Colorectal Cancer Patients on Adjuvant Chemotherapy

The immune system plays an important role in the fight against cancer. According to certain studies, Levels of cytokines secreted by the immune cells were found as predictors of prognosis and survival among cancer patients, as well as disease recurrence. Previous studies, including meta-analyses, reported that chronic emotional stress or depression were associated with higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Practicing relaxation was found to decrease psychological symptoms among cancer patients, such as depression, anger, hostility and anxiety symptoms, as well as physical symptoms. Wheatgrass juice is an extract squeezed from the mature sprouts of wheat seeds (Triticum aestivum). Currently, there are only a few laboratory and medical studies that examine the beneficial effects of wheatgrass consumption. Controlled clinical trials have found that wheatgrass juice may reduce chemotherapy-induced myelotoxicity, accompanied by fever and infection without harming the chemotherapy effectiveness among breast cancer patients6. Aims 1. To examine the differences in immune measures (serum and micro-particles levels of the cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-12), and in physical and psychological well-being measures (anxiety, depression, pain, fatigue, nausea) at three time points and between two intervention methods (biofeedback-assisted relaxation and wheatgrass consumption) and between the intervention groups vs. a control group, among colorectal cancer patients. 2. To assess the mediating role of optimism, perceived control and well-being measures (anxiety, depression, pain, fatigue, nausea) among colorectal cancer patients in the relations between the interventions (biofeedback-assisted relaxation and wheatgrass consumption) and the immune measures (serum and micro-particles levels of cytokines IL-6, IL-8 IL-10 and IL-12 ), and the mediating role of well-being measures on the relations between optimism and perceived control with immune measures. Methods Particip