ArticleFrontiers in oncology2026
Efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction versus usual care in patients with breast cancer: a meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has shown promise in improving physical and mental health in breast cancer patients, warranting further comprehensive evaluation. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of MBSR compared to usual care on the physical and psychological well-being of patients with breast cancer. Methods: A systematic search of Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase was conducted to identify RCTs published up to October 5, 2025. Eligible studies enrolled patients with breast cancer at any stage, compared MBSR with usual care or waitlist control, and reported psychological, symptom-related, or quality of life (QoL) outcomes. Non-randomized studies, single-arm trials, duplicate reports, studies without relevant outcomes or sufficient data, and reviews, case reports, conference abstracts, letters, and animal studies were excluded. The primary outcomes were anxiety, depression, fatigue, and overall QoL. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) or mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled according to outcome measurement scales. Heterogeneity was assessed using I Results: This meta-analysis included 20 studies comprising 2534 breast cancer patients. The overall results indicated that compared with usual care, MBSR significantly alleviated anxiety (SMD: -0.489, 95% CI: -0.734 to -0.244, 95% PI: -1.520 to 0.541), depression (SMD: -0.258, 95% CI: -0.347 to -0.170, 95% PI: -0.650 to 0.083), and fatigue (SMD: -0.399, 95% CI: -0.562 to -0.236, 95% PI: -0.963 to 0.166), while markedly improving overall QoL (SMD: 0.262, 95% CI: 0.059 to 0.465, 95% PI: -0.311 to 0.836). Additional benefits of MBSR included reductions in perceived stress and pain, improvements in posttraumatic growth, and decreases in total mood disturbance (all Conclusion: Our findings support MBSR as an effective intervention for improving the psychological health and QoL of breast cancer patients. Future research should focus on the long-term efficacy of MBSR in this population. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD420261277936.
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