This is an in-depth assessment of the current evidence for yoga for cancer-related fatigue. Follow the links for other information regarding yoga for cancer:
The findings of the most recent and most comprehensive systematic review (SR) on yoga for cancer-related pain are summarized below. A full description of the included SR can be found in the yoga evidence tables.
Description of included studies
Number of studies: one SR (Danon 2022) including 13 RCTs, seven thereof included in meta-analysis.
Participants: 897 participants 628 in meta-analysis(8 with mixed cancer diagnoses, adults with cancer-related pain during or after treatment.
Interventions: Hatha/Iyengar yoga, mindful yoga, online yoga, YOCAS© yoga, yoga during radiotherapy, laughter yoga; “yoga assimilated”: medical qigong, Sudarshan Kriya & Pranayama
Comparators: Usual care, waitlist, education/support groups, supportive counselling physical exercise
Outcomes: Pain; excluding procedural pain and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
Effects of yoga on pain
The most recent and comprehensive SR Danon et al 2022 reports no statistically significant effects: SMD = -0.30 (-0.73 to 0.13). Confidence in the evidence is low due to limitations of the studies.
An earlier SR with critical weaknesses according to AMSTAR2, reports more positive findings from 5 RCTs but did not consider the methodological limitations of the included studies when interpreting the results. (Hsueh 2021).
Limitations of included studies
Although the SR itself is of moderate quality, the primary RCTs included in the SR were at high risk for performance and detection bias; unclear risk for allocation concealment and selective reporting.
Further limitations included small sample sizes, pilot designs, reporting issues, language restrictions.
