A pilot study exploring four meditation practices for anxiety among cancer survivors.
Rick Y. Lin, Serena Siddiq, Aaron Fisher, Phi Hoang Yen Tran, Sarah Ku, Maggie O. Goodson, Deleree Schornack, F. Munoz, Seyma N. Saritoprak, Erica Veguilla, Jeffrey Li, K. Gowin, Richard T. Lee
Journal of Clinical Oncology June 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.e24132 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 29 |
| Population | Cancer survivors without significant meditation experience treated with surgery alone |
| Duration | 3-week intervention |
| Measures | Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Short Form (STAI-SF), visual analog scale 0-10 (VAS) of anxiety, salivary alpha-amylase, systolic blood pressure (SBP) |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Registration | NCT06500377 |
| Key findings | Only the combination meditation group showed a significant decrease in VAS-Anxiety after acute stress (change -3.1, p=0.02). Mindfulness and breathing groups showed near-significant decreases. Mindfulness reduced amylase, breathing reduced systolic blood pressure, and STAI scores decreased overall across arms. |
Abstract
e24132
Background: Meditation has been associated with reductions in anxiety among cancer survivors. This study aims to evaluate four meditation techniques for reducing anxiety after acute stress in cancer survivors.
Methods: Cancer survivors without significant meditation experience treated with surgery alone were randomized to one of the four arms: breathing, focused attention, mindfulness, or a combination. Participants learned the assigned meditation technique over 3 weeks. At baseline (V1) and the final visit (V5), subjects underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and completed the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Short Form (STAI-SF) questionnaire, visual analog scale 0-10 (VAS) of anxiety, salivary α-amylase, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) at different time points including before TSST (T3), after TSST (T4), and after meditation post-TSST (T5). Paired t-tests assessed within group pre-post differences and across timepoints in VAS-Anxiety, amylase, and SBP scores. A mixed effects model was used for STAI scores.
Results: A total of 29 subjects (accrual goal 44) completed the study (median age 64 years; 72% male). Cancer types include prostate (66%), thyroid (17%), bladder (7%), kidney (7%), and skin (3%). Our preliminary results show the combination group had a significant decrease in VAS-Anxiety after meditation post-TSST from V5 T4-T5 (-3.1, p = 0.02), while the breathing group (-2.2, p = 0.08) and mindfulness group (-2.1, p = 0.08) were nearing significance. The combination group also had significant reductions in VAS-Anxiety between V1-T4 and V5-T4 (-3.7, p = 0.01), and near significance between V1-T5 and V5-T5 (-2.4, p = 0.052). The mindfulness group showed a significant decrease in amylase post-TSST between V1-T4 and V5-T4 (-301, p = 0.04), and near significant decrease between V1-T5 and V5-T5 (-261, p = 0.059). The breathing group showed a significant decrease in SBP across timepoints between V1 and V5 (p = 0.001). Across all study arms, there was an overall decrease in STAI scores at V5 compared to V1 (p = 0.0002). The planned study completion is in Summer of 2026.
Conclusions: With this brief 3-week intervention of four types of meditation, only the combination group showed significant changes in the primary aim of VAS-Anxiety after acute stress. The mindfulness and breathing groups may work through different physiological mechanisms to counter stress and thus may explain why a combination approach is most effective. Clinical trial information: NCT06500377 .