Immediate impact of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) among women with breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) may have positive physiological and psychological benefits for breast cancer survivors. However, few studies involved a combination of the relevant literatures to confirm the effects. Methods Our study included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs comparing interventions of MBCT and control protocols for alleviation of symptoms among breast cancer survivors. We calculated pooled mean differences (MDs), standardized mean differences (SMDs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by using random effects models to estimate summary effect sizes. Results Thirteen trials with 20–245 participants were considered in our studies; for the meta-analysis, 11 of these studies were eligible for assessment. The pooled meta-analysis results revealed that at the end of the MBCT intervention, participants’ anxiety (SMD, − 0.70; 95% CI, − 1.26 to − 0.13; I2 = 69%), pain (SMD, − 0.64; 95% CI, − 0.92 to − 0.37; I2 = 0%), and depression (SMD, − 0.65; 95% CI, − 1.14 to − 0.17; I2 = 75%) levels significantly decreased, and their mindfulness (MD, 8.83; 95% CI, 3.88 to 13.78; I2 = 68%) levels significantly increased. Conclusion The MBCT may be associated with improved pain, anxiety, depression, and mindfulness. However, the quantitative analysis pointed to an inconclusive result due to moderate to high levels of heterogeneity among indicator of anxiety, depression, and mindfulness. Future work requires more studies to better elucidate the clinical significance of this possible association. The results suggest that MBCT is highly beneficial as an intervention for patients who have received treatment for breast cancer.

Differentiating mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy clinically: the why, how, and what of evidence-based practice

“…Meta-analyses examining the use of MBCT in populations living with bipolar disorder (Xuan et al, 2020) and chronic pain (Pei et al, 2021) found reductions in depression in between-group comparisons with moderate effect sizes. In contrast to Chang et al (2023) meta-analysis however, Pei et al (2021) paper did not find any statistically significant improvements in measures of pain. Though two meta-analyses reported reduction in anxiety symptoms with MBCT (Ghahari et al, 2020;Xuan et al, 2020), results varied for between-group analyses: Xuan et al (2020) meta-analysis found no significant effects, as opposed to Ghahari et al (2020) meta-analysis, which noted significant decreases with moderate effect sizes.…”

“…The use of MBCT with other conditions has also been studied including anxiety ( Evans et al, 2008 ; Kim et al, 2009 ; Ghahari et al, 2020 ), bipolar disorder ( Lovas and Schuman-Olivier, 2018 ; Xuan et al, 2020 ), vascular disease ( Abbott et al, 2014 ), breast cancer ( Chang et al, 2023 ), and chronic health conditions ( Hazlett-Stevens et al, 2019 ; Pei et al, 2021 ). Meta-analyses examining the use of MBCT in populations living with bipolar disorder ( Xuan et al, 2020 ) and chronic pain ( Pei et al, 2021 ) found reductions in depression in between-group comparisons with moderate effect sizes.…”