Mental Health Care among Cancer Patients with BRCA Gene Mutations: The Potential of Mindfulness-based Intervention.
Mari Takeuchi, Sunre Park
The Keio journal of medicine September 25, 2025 DOI: 10.2302/kjm.2024-0019-re (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cancer Mental health |
| Key findings | Argues that psychological and social support for HBOC patients and their families lags behind genetic testing advances, and proposes mindfulness therapy, which the authors say has shown benefit for psychological distress in cancer patients, as a promising approach for HBOC patients. |
Abstract
Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC) is a hereditary tumor syndrome caused by mutations in BRCA genes. Advances in genetic testing technologies have enabled surveillance and risk-reducing surgeries for carriers of BRCA mutations, allowing for the early detection and prevention of cancer. However, the research and support infrastructure for addressing the psychological and social impacts of genetic diagnostics remain insufficient, and there is a need for mental and psychological support based on the needs of patients and their families. Here, we provide an overview of mindfulness, a psychotherapy that has been demonstrated to be effective in alleviating psychological distress in cancer patients, and we discuss the prospects for mindfulness therapy in HBOC patients.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 15
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Clinical Trial: The Effect of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Program on Mood and Symptoms of Stress in Cancer Outpatients Psychosomatic Medicine September 1, 2000
- Mindfulness‐based stress reduction for menopausal symptoms after risk‐reducing salpingo‐oophorectomy ( PURSUE study): a randomised controlled trial BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology September 17, 2018
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Depression in Patients With Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Integrative Cancer Therapies 2023
and 10 more in the library