First clinical trial finds yoga reduces anxiety and insomnia in cancer survivors
A clinical trial of 410 cancer survivors in the United States has found that regular yoga practice produces significant reductions in anxiety, insomnia, emotional distress and fatigue. Guardian Health, in a Monday report, says the trial is the first randomised study of its kind.
The research, led at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and supported by the American Cancer Society, delivered a 12-week yoga programme. Half of the participants received remotely instructed Hatha-style sessions; the control group continued standard follow-up care.
Lead author Stephanie Sohl told the Guardian that 'we were able to bring patients with three different cancer types and varying treatment journeys into the same yoga programme'. Sohl said that anxiety scores in the yoga group fell by 21 percent and insomnia complaints by 28 percent after 12 weeks.
The control group recorded marginal improvements of 4 percent and 6 percent respectively over the same 12-week period. The secondary outcome measures, including the cancer-specific fatigue scale and the daily functional impairment scale, also showed statistically significant reductions in the yoga arm.
The Guardian Health report also covered the 12-month follow-up findings. Sohl said at that point 'the improvements gained in the yoga group persisted for six months after the programme ended'. This finding points to the longer-term effects of the intervention.
Macmillan Cancer Support psycho-oncology specialist Cathy Burton, in her assessment for the Guardian, said the data 'confirms the need to place physical and emotional recovery practices at the heart of post-cancer care'. Burton said that a similar programme embedded in NHS care 'should be studied'.
The yoga programme tested in the trial was delivered through remotely instructed sessions; the method was described as 'accessible' for patients living far from hospital cancer centres. Sohl noted the typical weekly cost of the intervention was 'under 14 US dollars per participant'.
Review author Hope Rugo, an oncologist at UCSF in San Francisco, told the Guardian that 'the trial adds a robust new link to the chain of evidence on yoga's effect'. Rugo said the results were 'worth taking into account when post-cancer care guidelines are next revised'.
The director-general of the British Yoga Health Foundation, Heather Mason, told the Guardian that 'the feasibility of remote yoga programmes in low-income countries should be tested'. Mason said that the World Health Organization Europe regional office had committed 1.2 million euros to fund similar studies.
Guardian deputy health editor Hannah Devlin, in her analysis, said the findings showed that 'interventions producing objective improvements in cancer patients' quality of life are rarely tested in clinical trials, and this study is one of the rare examples'. This article is not personal medical advice; consult your doctor before starting a yoga programme.