Mindfulness review reports less anxiety in adults with cancer
Adults with cancer receiving mindfulness-based interventions had lower anxiety than comparison groups on average. Results differed substantially between studies, leaving the expected benefit in a particular setting uncertain.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Across the included studies, adults with cancer receiving mindfulness-based interventions had less anxiety than controls on average. However, the study results varied substantially, and the pooled result cannot show what benefit a particular patient would experience. The review concerns anxiety symptoms in people with cancer; it does not establish effects on cancer itself.
Substantial differences between studies limit how confidently the average result can be applied to a particular program or patient. Only English-language studies were reviewed, and the abstract does not specify intervention lengths.
What was being compared
The review combined studies of mindfulness-based interventions against several comparison conditions. Usual care, waiting lists and no intervention are different starting points, so the pooled result summarizes more than one kind of comparison.
Why the average needs context
The authors found that setting, funding and some participant or assessment characteristics were associated with different pooled effects. These variations make the overall result less informative about any single program, population or assessment time.
The original publication
Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Patients with Anxiety in Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Reangsing C, Punsuwun S, Wongsuraprakit S
J Integr Complement Med · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40764059
- Record checked
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