Danhauer, S.C., Addington, E.L., Sohl, S.J., Chaoul, A., & Cohen, L. (2017). Review of yoga therapy during cancer treatment. Supportive Care in Cancer, 25, 1357–1372.

STUDY PURPOSE: To review results of yoga trials conducted among patients during cancer treatment

TYPE OF STUDY: Systematic review

DATABASES USED: MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO through October 2015

INCLUSION CRITERIA: Children or adults undergoing cancer treatment, intervention was yoga or a component of yoga, randomized or non-randomized study

EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients receiving only hormone therapy, interventions involving only meditation or yoga, delivered as part of an MBSR intervention

TOTAL REFERENCES RETRIEVED: Not reported

FINAL NUMBER OF STUDIES INCLUDED: 4 studies of children, 22 total studies–13 were RCTs

TOTAL PATIENTS INCLUDED IN REVIEW: 1,046

SAMPLE RANGE ACROSS STUDIES: 4 to 164

KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: Varied tumor types–majority were done in women with breast cancer. Treatments include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and combination of these

PHASE OF CARE: Active anti-tumor treatment     

APPLICATIONS: Pediatrics

Doses of yoga ranged from 1 to 18 sessions and frequency ranged from every three weeks to three times per week. Some were delivered as group classes and two included caregivers. Some interventions included psychoeducation and supportive interventions. Some provided instructions and recommendations for practice at home. Attrition rates ranged from 8%-56%. Adherence to planned sessions ranged from 59%-88% and where measured, adherence to home practice ranged from 50%-80%. In non-random studies, improvements in anxiety, depression, mood, cognition, sleep, and fatigue were reported. Several RCTs reported improvement in distress, depression, anxiety, and multiple treatment-related side effects and symptoms.

Evidence suggests that yoga can be helpful to adults undergoing cancer treatment. There is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions regarding benefit for children.

• No quality evaluation
• Mostly low quality/high risk of bias studies
• Low sample sizes
• Varied type, frequency, and duration of interventions. Multiple limitations in study designs and high attrition rates

There is not a lot of strong evidence to show benefits of yoga for various symptoms for patients during cancer treatments due to individual study design limitations. Existing evidence suggests that yoga may be helpful for anxiety, depression, sleep, and cognitive impairment. Further well-designed research to explore these areas is needed. Yoga is a relatively low-risk intervention that may be helpful and could be suggested to patients who are interested and able to participate.