MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR): TREATMENT FOR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT POST CHEMOTHERAPY (CT)
Innovation in Aging December 21, 2023 Cecile Lengacher, Richie Reich
In a randomized trial, 212 breast cancer survivors who had received chemotherapy, with or without radiation, were assigned to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Breast Cancer (MBSR(BC)), a Breast Cancer Education Support program (BCES), or Usual Care (UC). All participants improved on cognitive and symptom measures over 26 weeks. Improvements generally favored MBSR(BC), followed by BCES and UC, though effect sizes were small, especially for cognition. The largest effect at week 26 was for fatigue, with MBSR(BC) showing a Cohen's d of 0.45 over BCES and 0.65 over UC. Treatment type, radiation, time since treatment, and practice techniques moderated effects. Longer follow-up is needed.