Mindfulness findings in cancer favored psychological outcomes, but evidence quality was low
In adults with cancer around the treatment period, mindfulness interventions showed better quality-of-life scores and lower depression and anxiety scores. Overall evidence quality was low.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The pooled findings favored mindfulness interventions for quality of life, depression, and anxiety in adults with cancer during or near treatment. However, the review rated the overall evidence as low quality because results differed substantially and most studies had bias concerns. These are psychological and quality-of-life outcomes, not evidence about cancer control or survival.
The abstract does not identify the control conditions or intervention durations, and it does not show which mindfulness formats contributed most to each outcome.
The outcomes were measured separately
Quality of life, depression, and anxiety were analyzed separately, using results from different sets of studies. The reported effects concern these measured scores; they do not describe how many patients recovered from depression or anxiety.
Study results varied
The subgroup analysis detected differences between intervention types, but not between cancer diagnoses. Failure to detect a diagnosis difference does not establish equal effects across cancers, particularly given the overall variation in study results.
The original publication
Mindfulness-based interventions for cancer patients in standard treatment: A meta-analysis of effects on depression, anxiety, and quality of life.
Štánerová E, Zelenayová V, Rajčáni J
J Psychosom Res · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40639226
- Record checked
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