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A wide range of behavioral, psychological, and pharmacological approaches are used to combat anxiety in patients with cancer. Researchers conducted this meta-analysis of 28 randomized trials from 13 countries (≈3000 adult patients) to assess the value of mindfulness-based interventions versus usual care or no intervention. About half of participants had breast cancer; the remainder had a wide range of other cancers. The mindfulness interventions varied in type, but all involved teaching patients to focus on present thoughts and feelings in a nonjudgmental way. Training varied from as little as a single 1-hour session to a series of sessions (median, 8 weeks).
Mindfulness interventions improved short-term anxiety (≤1-month postintervention) m…