Mindfulness-based stress reduction for women diagnosed with breast Cancer

World Congress on Breast Cancer

August 03-05, 2015 Birmingham, UK

Nicole Skoetz, Andrea Will, Ina Monsef, AchimW�¶ckel and Andreas Engert

Evidence-based Oncology, Department I of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Cancer Sci Ther

Abstract :

Background: Breast cancer diagnosis and therapy are mostly experienced as a severe and lifethreateningsituation that may affect patients� quality of life (QoL) with psychological distress and symptoms such as sleep disorders, depression and anxiety. Mindfulness-basedstress reduction (MBSR) is a method to reduce stress by practicing awareness. Aims: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of MBSR for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Methods: We searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and MEDLINE (1950 to 03/2015) as well as conference proceedings for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We included RCTs comparing MBSR in addition to standard care with standard care only in patients with breast cancer. Two review authors independently screened search results, extracted data and assessed the quality of trials. Results: We included eight RCTs involving 1093 patients. The majority of patients suffered fromearly stage breast cancer, some trials recruited patients during treatment, some thereafter. Neither survival nor adverse events were reported. However, there is a significant increase in quality of life and quality of sleep and reduced stress in patients practicing MBSR. Conclusion: Additional MBSR is a promising method in breast cancer patients to reduce stress andimprove quality of life and quality of sleep.This work was partially funded by Grant Number R24 AT001293 from the NationalCenter for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The contents of thissystematic review are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarilyrepresent the official views of the NCCAM or the National Institutes of Health.

Biography :

Dr Skoetz is a computer scientist and a medical doctor. From 1989 to 1993 she worked as a computer scientist, thereafter she studied medicine and received her medical degree in 2002. She worked as a project manager in a university-based contract research organization and conducted clinical trials. In January 2008 she became Managing Editor of the Cochrane Haematological Malignancies Group, based at the University of Cologne, since 2010 Co-ordinating Editor. She is involved in teaching concepts on evidence-based medicine and led numerous workshops. One of her main goals is the transfer to clinical practice by participating actively in guideline development.