Meditation Improves the Well Being of Cancer Survivors

Group sessions during which cancer survivors are taught meditation, mindful yoga, and communication techniques significantly improve psychological symptoms and quality of life (QoL), especially among breast cancer survivors.

Ruth Lerman, MD, from William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, and her colleagues conducted a study in which female cancer survivors were randomized to attend weekly 2-hour classes for 8 weeks plus a single 4-hour weekend retreat or were wait-listed (control group). She presented the findings here at the American Society of Breast Surgeons 12th Annual Meeting.

The intervention group significantly improved on all psychological and QoL measures assessed, compared with the control group.

Mindfulness studies have been done before in cancer survivors, but few randomized controlled trials have been done in the same population, Dr. Lerman noted. (MORE)

Source: medscape.com