Mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive therapy
Structured eight-week mindfulness courses reduce anxiety and low mood during and after cancer treatment, with dozens of randomised trials behind them. Guidelines from ASCO and the Society for Integrative Oncology recommend them as a first option alongside, not instead of, psychological care.
Overview
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) are manualised eight-week group programmes of meditation, body awareness and gentle movement. Meta-analyses of randomised trials in people with cancer show moderate reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms, fear of recurrence and fatigue, sustained for months. The 2023 SIO-ASCO guideline on anxiety and depression recommends mindfulness-based interventions for adults with cancer, during and after treatment, the strongest recommendation in that guideline. Online and app-based versions have randomised support and widen access. Mindfulness does not treat major depression on its own and is not a reason to withhold antidepressants or psychotherapy when they are indicated.
How it works
Training attention on present-moment experience reduces rumination and threat reactivity, with measurable changes in stress physiology (cortisol, inflammatory markers) whose clinical importance is uncertain.
- Many randomised trials and meta-analyses
- Top recommendation in the SIO-ASCO 2023 guideline
- Group and digital formats are scalable
- Requires eight weeks of practice
- Not a treatment for severe depression
- Trials mostly in breast cancer and Western populations
Latest papers
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