Mind-Body Therapies for Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in People with Cancer: A Systematic Review with Network Meta-Analysis

Clinical Snapshot

Key Findings

• P Value: Significant results: p < 0.001 to p = 0.047

• Effect Size: Large effects: Depression SMD -0.87 to -1.18; Anxiety SMD -0.90 to -1.13

• Primary Outcome: Standardised mean differences for depression and anxiety symptom reduction

• Nnt Or Sensitivity: Large effect sizes (>0.8) suggest clinically meaningful improvements in psychological symptoms

• Confidence Interval: Not reported

Clinical Application

Most interventions (yoga, mindfulness, music therapy) are readily available and low-cost Aligns with Cancer Australia's supportive care guidelines; some interventions may qualify for Medicare rebates under allied health programs; RACGP guidelines support integrative approaches for cancer care Cancer patients experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms across treatment phases

Abstract

INTRO: Mind-body therapies (MBTs) are promising forms of treatment for depression and anxiety symptoms in people with cancer, however, their effectiveness has not been compared. The objective of this study is to rank the effectiveness of MBTs for depression and anxiety symptoms in people with cancer. METHODS: EMBase, PubMed, Cinahl, PsychINFO, IndMED, CSI-NISCAIR, CNKI, Clinicaltrial.gov, ChiCTR, and CTRI were searched until February 2025 for randomised controlled studies in which MBTs were tested in a cancer population. Network meta-analyses were used on the selected studies to rank the reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms compared with usual care. RESULTS: A total of 182 studies which involved 16,835 participants were included. The network meta-analysis showed a statistically significant large effect compared with usual care for biofeedback (standardised mean difference, SMD = -1.18, p = 0.038), spiritual interventions (SMD = -0.98, p = 0.047), and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs; SMD = -0.87, p < 0.001) for depression symptoms and yoga (SMD = -1.13, p < 0.001), MBIs (SMD = -1.02, p < 0.001), physical relaxation (SMD = -0.93, p < 0.001), qigong/Tai Chi (QTC; SMD = -0.90, p = 0.004) and music therapy (SMD = -0.90, p < 0.001) for anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The MBTs that should be prioritised are biofeedback, spiritual interventions, and MBIs for depression symptoms and yoga, MBIs, physical relaxation, QTC, and music therapy for anxiety symptoms in people with cancer.

References

1. 1.Birling, Y., Bhuyan, D. J., Feng, F., Jia, M., Liu, J., Zhang, H., Rahimi, M., Yu, W. Y., Carlson, L. E., Boge, H. B., Jasim, N., Jaye, K., Dissanayake, I. H., Nevitt, S., Lacey, J., Hoenders, R., Tang, C., Tram, T., & Fahey, P. P. (2026). Mind-Body Therapies for Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in People with Cancer: A Systematic Review with Network Meta-Analysis. Current Oncology Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctrv.2015.06.003