Mindfulness practice reduces cortisol blunting during chemotherapy: A randomized controlled study of colorectal cancer patients.
David S Black, Cheng Peng, Alix G Sleight, Nathalie Nguyen, Heinz-Josef Lenz, Jane C Figueiredo
Cancer August 15, 2017 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.30698 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized clinical trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 57 |
| Population | English- or Spanish-speaking colorectal cancer patients at one county oncology clinic and one university oncology clinic beginning chemotherapy |
| Interventions | Mindfulness meditation resting exposure |
| Duration | 1 session during the first 60 minutes of chemotherapy; saliva sampled at baseline and at 20-minute intervals for 60 minutes |
| Measures | Salivary cortisol (area-under-the-curve analysis), distress, fatigue, mindfulness |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Chemotherapy Colorectal Complementary medicine Cortisol Endocrine Integrative oncology |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation delivered during active chemotherapy was associated with greater acute salivary cortisol reactivity than attention-control or resting conditions: the mindfulness group showed a relative increase in cortisol area-under-the-curve (β = 123.21) and more than twice as many mindfulness participants as controls showed a cortisol rise from baseline to 20 minutes (69% vs 34%). The authors suggest this indicates mindfulness practice can reduce the blunting of neuroendocrine profiles typically observed in cancer patients. |
Abstract
The objective of this randomized clinical experiment was to test the influence of a mindfulness meditation practice, when delivered during 1 session of active chemotherapy administration, on the acute salivary cortisol response as a marker of neuroendocrine system activity in cancer patients. A mindfulness, attention-control, or resting exposure was assigned to 57 English- or Spanish-speaking colorectal cancer patients at 1 county oncology clinic and 1 university oncology clinic at the start of chemotherapy. Saliva samples were collected at the start of chemotherapy and at subsequent 20-minute intervals during the first 60 minutes of chemotherapy (4 samples in all). Self-reporting on biobehavioral assessments after chemotherapy included distress, fatigue, and mindfulness. An area-under-the-curve analysis (AUC) showed a relative increase in cortisol reactivity in the mindfulness group after adjustments for biological and clinical measures (β = 123.21; P = .03). More than twice as many patients in the mindfulness group versus the controls displayed a cortisol rise from the baseline to 20 minutes (69% vs 34%; P = .02). AUC values were uncorrelated with biobehavioral measure scores, although mindfulness scores were inversely correlated with fatigue (r = -0.46; P < .01) and distress scores (r = -0.54; P < .01). Findings suggest that mindfulness practice during chemotherapy can reduce the blunting of neuroendocrine profiles typically observed in cancer patients. Implications include support for the use of mindfulness practice in integrative oncology. Cancer 2017;123:3088-96. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Effects of long-term mindfulness meditation training on attentional capacity in professional male fencer athletes. Scientific Reports April 15, 2025
- Yoga as a Complementary Therapy for Cancer Patients: From Clinical Observations to Biochemical Mechanisms. Complementary Medicine Research 2024
- Evidence for the Role of Mindfulness in Cancer: Benefits and Techniques. Cureus May 9, 2019
- Mindfulness-based resilience training to reduce health risk, stress reactivity, and aggression among law enforcement officers: A feasibility and preliminary efficacy trial. Psychiatry Research March 23, 2018
Cites 7
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness-based resilience training to reduce health risk, stress reactivity, and aggression among law enforcement officers: A feasibility and preliminary efficacy trial. Psychiatry Research March 23, 2018
- Mindfulness-based interventions for coping with cancer. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 2016
- Mindfulness meditation and the immune system: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences January 21, 2016
- Psychometric assessment of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) among Chinese adolescents. Assessment March 2012
and 2 more in the library