No Definite Link Between Yoga, Quality of Life in Patients With Colorectal Cancer

the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:

Given the trial’s high attrition rate and low intervention adherence, no definite conclusions can be made between yoga and the health-related quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer, according to an article published online in the journal Psycho-Oncology.

Participants in this study included 54 patients (mean age 68.3 ± 9.7 years) who were randomly assigned to a 10-week yoga intervention (90 minutes once weekly; mean attendance 5.3 ± 4.0 yoga classes) or a waitlist control group. Twenty-seven patients were randomized to both the yoga and control group (attrition rate 22.2% and 18.5%, respectively).

Results showed no significant differences in the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Colorectal (FACT-C) total score between the two groups, which measured disease-specific quality of life.

However, differences were observed between the two groups’ emotional well-being at week 22 (∆ = 1.59; 95% CI: 0.27, 2.90; P= 0.019), sleep disturbances at week 22 (∆ = −1.08; 95% CI:  −2.13, −0.03; P=0.043), anxiety at week 10 (∆ = −1.14; 95% CI:  −2.20, −0.09; P=0.043), and depression at week 10 (∆ = −1.34; 95% CI:  −2.61, −0.8; P=0.038). 

Furthermore, no serious adverse events were observed in the yoga intervention cohort, while liver metastases occurred in one patient in the control group.