Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23181734›Full record

SynthesisBMC cancer2012

Physical and psychosocial benefits of yoga in cancer patients and survivors, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Laurien M Buffart, Jannique G Z van Uffelen, Ingrid I Riphagen, Johannes Brug, Willem van Mechelen, Wendy J Brown, Mai J M Chinapaw

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC cancer, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05180656 (The Impact of a Remotely-Delivered Yoga Intervention on Cognitive Function in Breast Cancer Survivors), which is not on this map. Cited by 140 papers, 24 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
140citing papers in PubMed, 24 pooled it
10.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05180656 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

The Impact of a Remotely-Delivered Yoga Intervention on Cognitive Function in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Feasibility Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of TorontoRan2021 to 2022Enrolled18ConditionsBreast Cancer, Breast Cancer Stage I, Breast Cancer Stage II, Breast Cancer Stage IIIArmsYoga Intervention
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

140 citing papers in PubMed, 24 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 357 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Mind-body interventions for cancer-related dyspnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Yoga for fatigue in people with cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
  4. BeyondFrontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025
    Pooled it
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  7. Meditative movement for breathlessness in advanced COPD or cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2023
    Pooled it
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  14. Physical activity for women with breast cancer after adjuvant therapy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
    Pooled it
  15. Salute to the sun: a new dawn in yoga therapy for breast cancer.Journal of medical radiation sciences · 2017
    Pooled it
  16. Guideline
  17. Pooled it
  18. Cancer-Related Fatigue, Version 2.2015.Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · 2015
    Guideline
  19. Pooled it
  20. Pooled it

80 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Laurien M BuffartEMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, Amsterdam, 1081 BT, The Netherlands. l.buffart@vumc.nl
Jannique G Z van Uffelen
Ingrid I Riphagen
Johannes Brug
Willem van Mechelen
Wendy J Brown
Mai J M Chinapaw
EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research · NLUniversity of Queensland · AUNorwegian University of Science and Technology · NO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study aimed to systematically review the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and to conduct a meta-analysis of the effects of yoga on physical and psychosocial outcomes in cancer patients and survivors.

methodsA systematic literature search in ten databases was conducted in November 2011. Studies were included if they had an RCT design, focused on cancer patients or survivors, included physical postures in the yoga program, compared yoga with a non-exercise or waitlist control group, and evaluated physical and/or psychosocial outcomes. Two researchers independently rated the quality of the included RCTs, and high quality was defined as >50% of the total possible score. Effect sizes (Cohen's d) were calculated for outcomes studied in more than three studies among patients with breast cancer using means and standard deviations of post-test scores of the intervention and control groups.

resultsSixteen publications of 13 RCTs met the inclusion criteria, of which one included patients with lymphomas and the others focused on patients with breast cancer. The median quality score was 67% (range: 22-89%). The included studies evaluated 23 physical and 20 psychosocial outcomes. Of the outcomes studied in more than three studies among patients with breast cancer, we found large reductions in distress, anxiety, and depression (d = -0.69 to -0.75), moderate reductions in fatigue (d = -0.51), moderate increases in general quality of life, emotional function and social function (d = 0.33 to 0.49), and a small increase in functional well-being (d = 0.31). Effects on physical function and sleep were small and not significant.

conclusionYoga appeared to be a feasible intervention and beneficial effects on several physical and psychosocial symptoms were reported. In patients with breast cancer, effect size on functional well-being was small, and they were moderate to large for psychosocial outcomes.

Indexed as

YogaBreast NeoplasmsFemaleHealth StatusHumansLymphomaMaleNeoplasmsQuality of LifeRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSurvivors

Identifiers

PMID23181734
PMCPMC3571972
OpenAlexW2149581871

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.