First clinical trial of its kind finds yoga may ease multiple cancer side effects at once
A major clinical trial has found that yoga may help reduce anxiety, insomnia, emotional distress and fatigue in people living with cancer, offering a potential non-drug approach to some of the most persistent challenges faced by survivors.
The findings emerged from what researchers described as the first clinical trial of its kind, involving 410 cancer survivors in the United States.
Advances in treatment mean more people than ever are surviving cancer. Yet recovery often extends far beyond the end of treatment. Many survivors continue to battle physical exhaustion, disrupted sleep and emotional strain months or even years after diagnosis.
Sleep problems are especially common. Researchers note that up to 95% of cancer survivors experience sleep disturbance or insomnia during or after treatment. More than half also report mood difficulties, anxiety or fatigue.
The new study suggests yoga could provide relief across several of these overlapping problems.
Presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago, the research examined whether a structured yoga programme could improve symptoms without relying on medication.
Researchers recruited 410 cancer survivors whose cancer had not spread. Participants had not practised yoga during the previous three months. Their average age was 54, and around three-quarters had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
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The trial split participants into two groups.
A total of 204 participants received standard survivorship care, which typically involves ongoing monitoring, follow-up appointments and maintenance therapy.
The remaining 206 participants received the same standard care but also took part in a programme called Yoga for Cancer Survivors, known as YOCAS.
The four-week programme combined gentle hatha yoga, restorative yoga, breathing exercises and mindfulness practices.
Participants attended two instructor-led 75-minute sessions and completed additional home practice lasting at least 30 minutes per week.
The yoga routines focused on slow movements, supported postures and controlled breathing techniques designed to help cancer survivors manage symptoms.
Researchers assessed mood, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia through questionnaires completed during the study. The research received funding from the National Cancer Institute.
Compared with participants receiving standard care alone, those taking part in yoga reported significantly better outcomes.
Researchers found lower overall mood disturbance among yoga participants, producing what they described as a moderate-to-large effect. Anxiety levels also fell, showing a small-to-medium effect, while fatigue improvements reached a medium-to-large effect.
The findings also pointed to improvements in insomnia.
Yuri Choi, the study’s lead author, said cancer survivors currently lack a single behavioural treatment capable of tackling mood disturbance, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia together.
Choi said the results help address that gap by showing how the YOCAS intervention improved all four side effects while shedding light on how emotional and fatigue improvements influenced sleep outcomes.
Experts not involved in the research also highlighted the significance of the findings.
Fumiko Chino said the large randomised study demonstrated that structured yoga may ease some of the most difficult and commonly reported problems in cancer survivorship, including insomnia.
She described the findings as an important development because they offered survivors a non-pharmaceutical option capable of addressing several side effects simultaneously.
For cancer survivors already managing complex treatment journeys and multiple medications, the research points towards a potentially valuable supportive therapy rooted not in prescriptions, but in movement, breathing and mindfulness.