Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40240905›Full record

SynthesisBMC complementary medicine and therapies2025

Effectiveness of qigong and Tai Chi for quality of life in patients with cancer: an umbrella review and meta-analysis.

Jing Xu, Hong Li, Daniel Man-Yuen Sze, Vincent Wan Shing Chan, Angela Wei Hong Yang

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
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

5 authors.

Jing Xu *School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, STEM College, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9471-5549
Hong Li *School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3874-4860
Daniel Man-Yuen SzeSchool of Health and Biomedical Sciences, STEM College, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1319-2473
Vincent Wan Shing ChanSchool of Health and Biomedical Sciences, STEM College, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5536-1565
Angela Wei Hong YangSchool of Health and Biomedical Sciences, STEM College, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia. angela.yang@rmit.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9345-4607

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundQigong and Tai Chi (QTC) have been adopted by cancer patients as the complementary treatment to their conventional care. This umbrella review aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of QTC in cancer patients' quality of life (QoL) and its safety.

methodsTwenty-five databases were searched from their respective inception to March 2025. Systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing cancer patients' QoL after practicing QTC were included. The search strategy included Qigong, Tai Chi, quality of life, cancer, systematic review, and meta analysis. The extracted data was analyzed using standardized mean difference, mean difference, or odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals.

resultsNine SRs were included in the qualitative analysis, and six of the SRs were included for the meta-analyses. Results showed that QTC may improve cancer patients' overall QoL, physiological scores (physical functioning, fatigue, and sleep quality), psychological scores (mental health and anxiety), and immunity, compared to the control groups. However, meta-analyses did not demonstrate significant differences in subgroup analyses of depression, although it showed that QTC may reduce depression in cancer patients. No serious adverse events of QTC were reported.

conclusionQTC can be considered a safe intervention method for improving QoL in patients with cancer. Due to substantial heterogeneity, more rigorously-designed RCTs on QTC for cancer patients should be conducted, focusing on standardizing QTC practices and QoL instruments to assess QTC effects. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021253216.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsQigongQuality of LifeTai JiHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicMind-body exerciseOncologySport and health scienceSystematic review of systematic reviewsTraditional medicine.

Identifiers

PMID40240905
PMCPMC12004731

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.