Mind–body programs improved symptom scores in breast cancer trials
A pooled review found lower anxiety, fatigue and fear of recurrence than standard care, while warning that the strength of the evidence remains limited.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Across the included trials, mind–body programs were associated with better anxiety and other symptom scores than standard care. These findings concern symptoms and quality of life in people with breast cancer. They do not show that the cancer itself improved, and the reviewers caution that the evidence remains limited.
The abstract does not report intervention lengths or explain the specific reasons for limited evidence strength. It also gives no threshold for judging how meaningful the score differences were to patients.
What researchers found
Anxiety score
Mind–body exercise versus standard care; pooled standardized mean difference. Outcome assessment timing was not reported.
Understanding the estimate
A standardized mean difference expresses the result on a shared scale rather than the original questionnaires. Here, the negative anxiety estimate favored mind–body exercise; it is not a percentage reduction in anxiety or cancer risk.
What improved
The review also reported improvements in depression, insomnia, fatigue, perceived stress and quality of life. Fear of recurrence is a psychological outcome, so a lower score does not establish that cancer recurrence became less likely.
The original publication
The impact of mind-body exercise on female breast cancer patients-a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Li L, He Y, Yang X et al.
Front Public Health · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41221238
- Record checked
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