Improving cancer patients' prognosis by incorporating mindfulness intervention into the treatment strategy.
Ning Lu, Kuo-Cherh Huang
World Journal of Psychiatry May 19, 2025 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i5.102977 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 110 |
| Population | Patients with urinary system tumors and depression |
| Interventions | Epirubicin Mindfulness intervention strategy |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cancer patient Mindfulness intervention Psychiatric distress Suicide Urinary system tumor Cancer treatment Mental health therapy Mindfulness meditation Oncology research Integrative medicine |
| Key findings | Combining epirubicin with mindfulness interventions significantly improves immune function, tumor markers, depression, quality of life, fatigue, and nursing satisfaction compared to standard care. |
Abstract
This letter discusses the study by Liu et al recently published in World Journal of Psychiatry, which examines the benefits of combining epirubicin (EPI) with mindfulness interventions for patients with urinary system tumors and depression. The study included 110 patients and compared an experimental group receiving EPI and a mindfulness intervention strategy with a control group treated with mitomycin and standard care. Results showed that the experimental group had significant improvements in immune function, tumor markers, depression severity, quality of life, cancer-related fatigue, and nursing satisfaction. Despite acknowledging the study limitations such as a relatively small sample size and a short duration, the study highlights the efficacy of integrating mindfulness interventions into cancer treatment strategies to enhance patient outcomes and address psychological distress.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- How Does Mindfulness Training Affect Health? A Mindfulness Stress Buffering Account Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2014
- Mindfulness Meditation and Improvement in Sleep Quality and Daytime Impairment Among Older Adults With Sleep Disturbances JAMA Internal Medicine February 16, 2015
- Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Treatment-specific changes in decentering following mindfulness-based cognitive therapy versus antidepressant medication or placebo for prevention of depressive relapse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology March 12, 2012
and 4 more in the library