287P - Long-term yoga enhances the quality of life and symptomatic scale in breast cancer patients undergoing treatment

Background

Yoga is one of the oldest therapies and has been practiced for millennia to promote physical and mental health. Yoga decreased cancer-related symptoms and treatment-related adverse effects, such as fatigue and nausea, and enhanced general well-being and quality of life. However, the duration of the yoga intervention in these investigations was a maximum of six months. In this study, the yoga intervention was given for one year.

Methods

The institutional ethics committee approved the study. This study enrolled a total of 96 patients after considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and they were randomly divided into two groups (non-yoga and yoga). Patients received training for the asanas Tadasna, Tiryaka Tadasana, Katichakrasana, Padadhirasana, Gomukhasana, Shavasana, Nadishodhan Pranayama, and Ujjayi Pranayama, which were performed for 45 minutes, five days per week, for the period of one year. We used the validated EORTC-QLQ30 and EORTC-BR23 questionnaires to assess the quality of life, symptomatic scale, fatigue, and functional scale in breast cancer patients. We calculated them at baseline, the fourth month, the eighth month, and the twelfth month, and compared them to the control group as well as with the intergroup.

Results

For each time point, 42 patients in the yoga group and 40 patients in the control group were analyzed. In the yoga group, two patients died and four were lost to follow-up and in non-yoga group, four patients died and four were lost to follow-up. At 4th(p<.05), 8th (p<0.01), and 12th month (p<0.001) post-baseline, the yoga group's quality of life improved significantly. In contrast, the non-yoga group shows substantial declines from baseline to the 4^th(p<.05), 8^th (p<0.01), and 12^th month (p<0.001). The symptomatic and functional scales are also enhanced in the yoga group relative to the control group. The most significant difference from baseline was found in the functional scale at 12 months (p<0.05).

Conclusions

Long-term yoga intervention improved both their functional and symptomatic scales, as well as their quality of life. This suggests that yoga could be an effective complementary therapy for breast cancer patients undergoing treatment.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

Ministry of Ayush, Government of India.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.