Welcome to the Cancer Survivorship Research Team

The mission of our lab is to improve the lives of cancer patients and survivors by understanding, preventing, and treating the side effects of cancer and its treatment—particularly insomnia, fatigue, and cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI).

Our research focuses on uncovering the biological and psychological mechanisms underlying these symptoms, including disruptions to the circadian rhythm, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and autonomic nervous system. These systems play a critical role in sleep regulation, stress response, and overall health, and their dysfunction has been linked to poorer cancer outcomes. Our work has shown that insomnia and CRCI are not only highly prevalent but also have a significant impact on quality of life and potentially cancer survival.

We have developed and tested novel interventions to address these challenges. One such intervention is Brief Behavioral Therapy for Cancer-Related Insomnia (BBT-CI)—a targeted, scalable behavioral approach designed to treat acute insomnia and circadian disruption during cancer treatment. BBT-CI incorporates chronorehabilitation strategies such as light exposure, meal timing, and physical activity education. It has been shown to improve sleep, autonomic function, quality of life, and fatigue in multiple clinical trials, and is currently being evaluated in a national, NCI-funded Phase III randomized controlled trial.

In parallel, in collaboration with Dr. Shelli Kesler at University of Texas in Austin we are advancing the understanding of CRCI through neuroimaging and clinical studies, which suggest that cognitive impairments can arise even before treatment begins and persist in a significant number of patients after chemotherapy. Our collaborative work aims to clarify the neurobiological pathways of CRCI and how they intersect with sleep disturbance, with the ultimate goal of creating integrated, personalized interventions for cognitive and sleep health.

Through innovative, patient-centered research, our lab is committed to transforming symptom management in cancer care—reducing suffering, improving outcomes, and enhancing survivorship.

--Oxana Palesh, Ph.D., M.P.H.