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‹ Sun · 19 Apr 2026
Promising but preliminary

A Behavioral Intervention to Improve Symptoms After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

A brief behavioral program targeting sleep and activity after bone marrow transplant reduces fatigue and depression in these vulnerable patients.

This pilot RCT (n=39) demonstrated that a 3-session behavioral intervention targeting sleep and activity patterns post-hematopoietic cell transplantation was feasible, acceptable, and showed preliminary efficacy signals for fatigue, insomnia, and depression. Effect sizes warrant a fully powered trial of this scalable and low-cost intervention.

What the study was

Study design
Pilot randomized controlled trial (n=39, 89.7% completion)
Population
Patients recovering from hematopoietic cell transplantation
Sample size
39
Category
Treatment Innovation
Maturity
Exploratory
Journal
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

Why it surfaced

RCT design in an underserved symptom domain (post-HCT fatigue/insomnia) with high unmet need; pilot only but feasibility established; warrants a powered trial.

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