A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Transcendental Meditation on Quality of Life in Older Breast Cancer Patients
Sanford Nidich, Jeremy Z. Fields, Maxwell V. Rainforth, Rhoda Pomerantz, David Cella, Jean L. Kristeller, John Salerno, Robert H Schneider
Integrative Cancer Therapies September 1, 2009 DOI: 10.1177/1534735409343000 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 130 |
| Population | Older women (≥55 years) with stage II to IV breast cancer |
| Interventions | Transcendental Meditation program Standard care |
| Duration | Average 18-month intervention period |
| Measures | Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Breast (FACT-B), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy—Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-SP), Short-Form (SF)-36 mental health and vitality scales |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Compared with standard care alone, adding the Transcendental Meditation program significantly improved overall quality of life (FACT-B total score, P = .037), emotional well-being (P = .046), social well-being (P = .003), and SF-36 mental health (P = .017) in older breast cancer patients over an average 18-month period. |
Abstract
This single-blind, randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of the Transcendental Meditation program plus standard care as compared with standard care alone on the quality of life (QOL) of older women (≥55 years) with stage II to IV breast cancer. One hundred and thirty women (mean age = 63.8) were randomly assigned to either experimental (n = 64) or control (n = 66) groups. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Breast (FACT-B), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy— Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-SP), and Short-Form (SF)-36 mental health and vitality scales were administered every 6 months over an average 18-month intervention period. Significant improvements were found in the Transcendental Meditation group compared with controls in overall QOL, measured by the FACT-B total score ( P = .037), emotional well-being ( P = .046), and social well-being ( P = .003) subscales, and SF-36 mental health ( P = .017). Results indicate that the Transcendental Meditation technique improves the QOL of older breast cancer patients. It is recommended that this stress reduction program, with its ease of implementation and home practice, be adopted in public health programs.