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Yoga improved fatigue, vigor in breast cancer survivors
Bower JE. Cancer. 2011;doi:10.1002/cncr.26702.
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Breast cancer survivors with persistent post-treatment fatigue experienced an alleviation of symptoms and renewed vigor after participating in a targeted yoga intervention, according to the results of a randomized study.
In the study, 31 women were randomly assigned to participate in yoga (n=16) or health education (n=15). The researchers sought to determine if yoga, which research has shown to have beneficial effects on the body, resulted in a change in the level of fatigue experienced by breast cancer survivors.
Overall, data indicated that women assigned to yoga had improvements in fatigue severity post-intervention (P=.032). These improvements persisted from post-treatment through more than 3 months follow-up. Women assigned to health education did not report any improvements in fatigue severity.
Yoga participants also reported statistically significant increases in vigor, as well as an improved ability to manage fatigue and its effect on their lives post-intervention than their counterparts in the health education group.
Both groups experienced improvements in depression and perceived stress (P<.05). The researchers suggested this improvement in the control group “may have resulted from the provision of information about breast cancer survivorship as well as nonspecific aspects of the intervention, including attention and group support."
Earn CME this spring at the HemOnc Today Breast Cancer Review & Perspective meeting to be held March 23-24, 2012 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. See details at HemOncTodayBreastCancer.com.
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