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BENEFITS OF MBCR
A cancer diagnosis and its treatment can affect far more than physical health. Many people experience emotional challenges such as stress, anxiety, fear of recurrence, low mood, and difficulty coping with the uncertainty that can accompany cancer.
Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) is adapted from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as a supportive, evidence-based program designed to help individuals develop skills for navigating these challenges. Through practices such as mindfulness meditation, gentle movement, group support and discussion and greater awareness of thoughts and emotions, MBCR can help people cultivate a sense of calm, resilience, and well-being to help navigate the uncertainties of living with cancer.
Learn more about the benefits of MBCR from some of our previous publications below
1. MBCR For Breast Cancer Survivors
Carlson, L. E., Doll, R., Stephen, J., Faris, P., Tamagawa, R., Drysdale, E., & Speca, M. (2013). Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery Versus Supportive Expressive Group Therapy for Distressed Survivors of Breast Cancer (MINDSET). Journal of Clinical Oncology, 31(25), 3119–3126. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2012.47.5210
Carlson, L. E., Tamagawa, R., Stephen, J., Drysdale, E., Zhong, L., & Speca, M. (2016) Randomized-controlled trial of mindfulness-based cancer recovery versus supportive expressive group therapy among distressed breast cancer survivors (MINDSET): long-term follow-up results. Psycho-Oncology, 25: 750–759. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.4150
What was the objective of these studies?
The purpose of the MINDSET study is to compare the efficacy of Mindfulness-based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) with another treatment called Supportive Expressive Group Therapy (SET) for breast cancer survivors experiencing distress.
To compare the efficacy of both treatments, researchers randomized 271 distressed cancer survivors of stage I to III breast cancer to either MBCR, SET, or a control condition. Researchers then analyzed participants’ mood, stress symptoms, quality of life, and social supports.
What did these studies find?
Researchers found that participants in the MBCR group showed greater improvement on stress symptoms compared to the SET group and the control group. Additionally, participants in the MBCR group showed greater improvement in quality of life compared to the control group and greater improvement on social support compared to the set group.
To solidify these findings, researchers conducted a long-term follow-up to examine whether these effects were sustained at 6 months and 12 months. Researchers were able to demonstrate that MBCR was superior to SET for improving psychological well-being with lasting benefits over 1 year.
2. MBCR For the treatment of Insomnia in Cancer patients
Garland, S. N., Carlson, L. E., Stephens, A. J., Antle, M. C., Samuels, C., & Campbell, T. S. (2014). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Compared with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the Treatment of Insomnia Comorbid with Cancer: A Randomized, Partially Blinded, Noninferiority Trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 32(5), 449–457. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2012.47.7265
Garland, S. N., Rouleau, C. R., Campbell, T., Samuels, C., & Carlson, L. E. (2015). The Comparative Impact of Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) on Sleep and Mindfulness in Cancer Patients. Explore, 11(6), 445–454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2015.08.004
What was the objective of these studies?
Researchers wanted to find out whether MBCR could work as well as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) for cancer patients who were experiencing insomnia. They compared the two treatments to see how well they improved sleep and related problems such as stress, mood, and sleep habits.
What did these studies find?
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Both MBCR and CBT-I improved insomnia and sleep.
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CBT-I worked faster, producing greater improvements immediately after treatment.
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After 3 months, MBCR’s effects were similar enough to CBT-I to meet the study's criteria for being "non-inferior."
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Both treatments helped patients fall asleep more quickly, spend less time awake during the night, sleep for longer, and experience less stress and mood disturbance.
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CBT-I improved sleep quality and unhealthy beliefs about sleep more than MBCR did.
Ultimately, MBCR and CBT-I can help cancer patients with insomnia. CBT-I produced faster and lasting improvements and was considered the preferred non-drug treatment in this study. However, MBCR can be a useful option, particularly because it improved both sleep and psychological well-being for distressed cancer patients.
