Bright Light Therapy for Lung Cancer

(BLT Trial)

Overseen By Menghua Tao, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Henry Ford Health System

Must not be taking: Sedative hypnotics, Antipsychotics

Disqualifiers: Pregnancy, Metastatic cancer, Oxygen therapy, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

Duration: 4 weeks

20 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores whether bright light therapy can improve sleep and potentially slow aging in lung cancer patients, based on specific biological markers. Participants will either receive bright light exposure or continue with their usual light for four weeks. Lung cancer patients who have completed primary treatment and experience sleep problems may find this trial suitable. As an unphased trial, it offers a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could enhance sleep and overall well-being for lung cancer patients.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but you cannot participate if you take prescribed sedative hypnotics, antipsychotics, or photosensitizing medications.

What prior data suggests that bright light therapy is safe for lung cancer patients?

Studies have shown that bright light therapy is generally safe and easy to manage. Research suggests it is a simple, low-cost treatment with few side effects. For cancer patients, including those with lung cancer, several reviews consider light therapy safe. Evidence of serious side effects is limited, making harm unlikely. Overall, participants in previous studies handled bright light therapy well, with no major safety concerns reported. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Bright Light Therapy is unique because it offers a non-invasive and drug-free approach to managing lung cancer symptoms. Unlike standard treatments like chemotherapy or radiation, which often come with significant side effects, Bright Light Therapy uses a light visor to deliver 30 minutes of bright light exposure daily. Researchers are excited about this treatment because it could improve patients' quality of life by potentially enhancing mood and energy levels without the usual downsides of traditional lung cancer therapies.

What evidence suggests that bright light therapy is effective for improving sleep and slowing biological aging in lung cancer patients?

Research has shown that bright light therapy, which participants in this trial may receive, can greatly improve sleep quality in cancer patients. One study found that it lowered the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score, indicating better sleep. Another study demonstrated that bright light therapy helps individuals treated for cancer sleep more soundly. It might also alleviate cancer-related fatigue, a common issue for patients. Overall, bright light therapy appears to be a safe and effective method to help lung cancer patients sleep better and feel less tired. ^{1 2 4 6 7}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for lung cancer patients experiencing sleep disturbances. Participants will use bright light therapy daily for 4 weeks and must be willing to have their blood drawn twice, complete surveys on sleep, fatigue, and stress, as well as keep a daily sleep log.

Inclusion Criteria

I finished my main cancer treatment over 2 months ago and may still be on maintenance therapy.

Able to understand, speak, and read English

I am 18 years old or older.

Exclusion Criteria

Participants with an Insomnia Severity Index <8

I have been diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder or substance abuse.

I have an eye condition or get migraines from bright lights or take medication that increases my sensitivity to light.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive bright light exposure or usual light exposure every day for 4 weeks

4 weeks

Daily self-reported logs, 2 visits for blood draw and surveys

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in sleep patterns, biological age, fatigue, and stress levels

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Bright Light Therapy

Trial Overview The study tests if bright light therapy can improve sleep patterns in lung cancer patients compared to usual light exposure. It also examines whether this therapy can slow biological aging by measuring clinical biomarkers before and after the treatment period.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: bright light arm Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will receive a daily 30-minutes bright light through light visor for 4 weeks.

Group II: control arm Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants will not receive bright light, and keep their usual daily light exposure for 4 weeks.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Henry Ford Health System

Lead Sponsor

Trials

334

Recruited

2,197,000+

Michigan State University

Collaborator

Trials

202

Recruited

687,000+

Citations

1. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07064395

Bright Light Therapy on Sleep Health in Lung Cancer ... A method used to assign participants to an arm of a clinical study. The types of allocation are randomized allocation and nonrandomized. ... A group or subgroup ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10363736/

The effect of light therapy on sleep quality in cancer patients Light therapy significantly improved the self-reported sleep quality with a reduction of the pooled PSQI score (SMD = −0.72; 95% CI: −1.24 to − ...

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0885392425005901

Effectiveness and Safety of Bright Light Therapy in ... Light therapy seems to have promising results in the field of oncology, providing a safe and potentially effective treatment for a variety of psychological ...

4. jpsmjournal.com jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(21)00531-5/fulltext

Effect of Light Therapy on Cancer-Related Fatigue The results indicate that the light therapy may be a promising treatment option to relieve CRF and other cancer-related symptoms.

5. ecancer.org ecancer.org/en/news/13172-bright-light-therapy-improves-sleep-in-people-treated-for-cancer

Bright light therapy improves sleep in people treated for ... Results of a randomised controlled trial suggest that systematic bright light exposure can improve sleep for fatigued people who have been treated for cancer.

6. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40185343/

Effectiveness and Safety of Bright Light Therapy in ... Bright light therapy is considered a well-tolerated and easy to administer form of treatment with relatively low costs. Our systematic review is focused on the ...

7. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.932098/full

Photodynamic therapy of lung cancer, where are we? PDT using 2-[1-hexyloxyethyl]-2-devinyl pyropheophorbide-a showed to be safe and effective against NSCLC with a CR of 72.7% at 6 months (Dhillon ...