Originally published as JCO Early Release 10.1200/JCO.2006.06.6027 on September 4 2007

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Randomized Controlled Trial of Yoga Among a Multiethnic Sample of Breast Cancer Patients: Effects on Quality of Life

Alyson B. Moadel, Chirag Shah, Judith Wylie-Rosett, Melanie S. Harris, Sapana R. Patel, Charles B. Hall, Joseph A. Sparano

From the Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx; Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY; and Private Oncology Practice, Ahmedabad, India

Address reprint requests to Alyson B. Moadel, PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461; e-mail: moadel{at}aecom.yu.edu

Purpose: This study examines the impact of yoga, including physical poses, breathing, and meditation exercises, on quality of life (QOL), fatigue, distressed mood, and spiritual well-being among a multiethnic sample of breast cancer patients.

Patients and Methods: One hundred twenty-eight patients (42% African American, 31% Hispanic) recruited from an urban cancer center were randomly assigned (2:1 ratio) to a 12-week yoga intervention (n = 84) or a 12-week waitlist control group (n = 44). Changes in QOL (eg, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy) from before random assignment (T1) to the 3-month follow-up (T3) were examined; predictors of adherence were also assessed. Nearly half of all patients were receiving medical treatment.

Results: Regression analyses indicated that the control group had a greater decrease in social well-being compared with the intervention group after controlling for baseline social well-being and covariates (P < .0001). Secondary analyses of 71 patients not receiving chemotherapy during the intervention period indicated favorable outcomes for the intervention group compared with the control group in overall QOL (P < .008), emotional well-being (P < .015), social well-being (P < .004), spiritual well-being (P < .009), and distressed mood (P < .031). Sixty-nine percent of intervention participants attended classes (mean number of classes attended by active class participants = 7.00 ± 3.80), with lower adherence associated with increased fatigue (P < .001), radiotherapy (P < .0001), younger age (P < .008), and no antiestrogen therapy (P < .02).

Conclusion: Despite limited adherence, this intent-to-treat analysis suggests that yoga is associated with beneficial effects on social functioning among a medically diverse sample of breast cancer survivors. Among patients not receiving chemotherapy, yoga appears to enhance emotional well-being and mood and may serve to buffer deterioration in both overall and specific domains of QOL.

published online ahead of print at www.jco.org on September 4, 2007.

Supported by Grant No. R03 CA88598-01A1 from the National Cancer Institute and by the Langeloth Foundation (Clinical Trials Registry No. NCT00179348).

Presented in part at the 39th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, May 31-June 3, 2003, Chicago, IL; 24th Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, March 19-22, 2004, Salt Lake City, UT; 7th World Congress of the International Psycho-Oncology Society, August 25-28, 2004, Copenhagen, Denmark; and 4th Annual Meeting of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, March 1-4, 2007, Austin, TX.

Authors’ disclosures of potential conflicts of interest and author contributions are found at the end of this article.

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