Improved Symptom Management in Breast Cancer Survivors with Yoga1
Breast cancer survivors are at risk of various psychological and physical sequelae including fear of recurrence, depression, lymphoedema, peripheral neuropathy, and etc. The Evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines created by the Society of Integrative Oncology recommended mind-body modalities as part of a multidisciplinary approach to reduce anxiety, mood disturbance, and chronic pain, in addition to improving quality of life. As an example of mind-body modalities, the benefits of yoga in symptom management among women with breast cancer were evaluated in a patient-reported survey. Among the 802 participants, 63% reported the use of yoga during and/or after their cancer diagnosis. 89.4% reported some symptomatic benefit from yoga, whereas the most common symptoms that prompted the use of yoga were breast/chest wall pain, lymphedema, and anxiety. Additionally, significant improvement was perceived in joint and muscle pain, fatigue, headache, quality of life, hot flashes, nausea/vomiting, depression, insomnia, and peripheral neuropathy (p < 0.004 for all). Hence, the results suggested that yoga would provide both physical and mental health benefits for breast cancer survivors.
References
1 Patel et al. Glob Adv Heal Med 2021; 10: 216495612098414.
