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Background: Quality of life in patients with cancer is an important issue. It affects different aspects of the patients' life. Supportive group therapy helps the majority of women with breast cancer to treat their disease and decrease the recurrence of the disease. Group poetry therapy, as a safe method, can be used to increase the quality of life of patients. Objectives: We designed this study to evaluate the effect of poetry therapy on the quality of life of patients with cancer. Methods: A total of 91 participants were divided into the poetry therapy group (n = 31) and the control group (n = 60). Six sessions of weekly poetry therapy were held. Miller Hope scale, Quality-of-Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30), and Quality of Life Questionnaires-Breast 23 (QLQ-BR23) were fulfilled by patients before, 1 week, and 2 and 6 months after the intervention. Results: Poetry therapy increased hope based on Miller Hope scale 1 week, 8 weeks, and 6 months after the intervention (P = 0.001). The improvement of the functional item of QLQ-BR23 and QLQ-C30 was significant in poetry therapy in comparison with the control group at the end of the study (P = 0.001). The change of side effect items does not differ over the course of the study (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Group poetry therapy can be a good psychotherapy way to increase the quality of life of patients with breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer patients’ psychological problems affect different aspects of their life, such as quality of life and response to treatments. Objectives: This research aimed to study the effectiveness of Masnavi-based poetry therapy on anxiety, depression, and stress in patients with breast cancer. Methods: The study was conducted on 91 patients with breast cancer. They were divided into the poetry therapy group (n = 31) and no intervention as the control group (n = 60). The intervention group attended six sessions of weekly Masnavi-based poetry therapy. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) questionnaires were completed by patients before, one week, and two months after the intervention. Results: Depression, anxiety, and stress were not significantly different between the two groups at the baseline. Poetry therapy decreases anxiety, depression, and stress of patients based on DASS-21 after one week and eight weeks in the intervention group (P = 0.006, P = 0.001, P = 0.01, respectively). One week after the intervention, the scores for depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly lower in the poetry therapy group than those in the control group (P = 0.02, P = 0.01, P = 0.03, respectively). All depression, anxiety, and stress presentations were significantly improved in the poetry therapy group in comparison to the control group at the end of week eight (P = 0.01, P = 0.03, P = 0.02, respectively). Conclusions: Group poetry therapy as useful psychotherapy could decrease anxiety and depression in women with breast cancer.

Introduction: Cancer is one of the most challenging diseases and patients are rarely able to maintain their mental health when dealing with it. This study seeks to use the great works of group poetry therapy as a supportive device for improving mental health and increasing hope in patients with breast cancer. Material and Methods: This before-after study was conducted in 2016 on women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy at a referral center at the north of Iran. The study protocol included eight weekly sessions of group poetry therapy using poems of great Persian poets. The patients completed two questionnaires, including Miller's Hope Scale (MHS) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) before beginning group poetry therapy and again one week and two months after the sessions had ended. Items of each questionnaire were manually scored and then analyzed using IBM SPSS-21. Results: 29 patients participated in all the group poetry therapy sessions, all 29 completed DASS-21, and 28 completed MHS. Increase in the hope score and reduction in the stress score were observed in two-month follow-up and both were statistically significant (p = 0.01 and 0.02 respectively). Conclusions: This study suggests that group poetry therapy can improve moods and hopefulness in women with breast cancer. Also the formation of a small group of patients who use the mystical themes of Persian poetry to connect to each other can have lasting positive effects in the long term.