Can Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Meditation Affect Cancer-Related Fatigue?

Indianapolis, IN

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common and distressing symptom associated with cancer, yet there are few evidence-based interventions to guide treatment in clinical practice. To address this need, breast and colorectal cancer patients (n=71) at least 3 months post-treatment were randomized to either: 1) an eight week, standardized mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) group intervention providing experiential training in mindfulness, a mental state whereby one attends to and purposefully manages one's awareness of what is happening in the moment or 2) a psycho-educational social support group of similar duration. Although both groups benefitted in the current trial, the MBSR group experienced better outcomes on several measures by the end of eight weeks as well as several months later. The results of this study suggest that MBSR may prove an acceptable and efficacious means by which to relieve fatigue in cancer patients.