The Effectiveness of Mind-Body Therapies for Women With Gynecological Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Mind-body therapies (MBTs) have gained popularity among patients with cancer as a supportive therapy. To date, no systematic reviews have assessed the effect of MBTs on the health outcomes in women with gynecological cancer.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the effectiveness of MBTs on quality of life, anxiety, depression, cancer-related pain, and fatigue among women with gynecological cancer.

METHODS

We searched and screened randomized controlled trials in 7 databases, trial registries, and gray literature from the databases' inception to December 2021. Data were extracted from eligible studies, with each study's quality assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Meta-analyses were conducted using RevMan 5.4. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed. The quality of evidence across the studies was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.

RESULTS

Nine trials were included. Statistically significant effects of MBTs on depression (standardized mean difference, -0.56; 95% confidence interval, -1.01 to -0.11; P = .01), pain (standardized mean difference, -1.60; 95% confidence interval, -3.14 to -0.07; P = .04), and fatigue (standardized mean difference, -1.17; 95% confidence interval, -2.16 to -0.18; P = .02) were observed, but not on quality of life and anxiety. The quality of evidence was low due to the high risks of bias and high heterogeneity among the studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Mind-body therapies were effective in reducing depression, pain, and fatigue of women with gynecological cancer. However, the low quality of the evidence implies the need for more future studies with better methodologies.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Mind-body therapies may be used as an additional strategy to help manage depressive mood, pain, and fatigue among women with gynecological cancer.