Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-65tv2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-08-22T12:01:48.500Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mindfulness and psychosocial care in cancer: Historical context and review of current and potential applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2012

Paul B. Greene ,
Errol J. Philip ,
Shannon R. Poppito  and
Julie B. Schnur
Paul B. Greene*
Affiliation:
Deptartment of Oncological Sciences, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York
Errol J. Philip
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
Shannon R. Poppito
Affiliation:
Independent Practitioner, Pasadena, California
Julie B. Schnur
Affiliation:
Deptartment of Oncological Sciences, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Paul B. Greene, Deptartment of Oncological Sciences, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave Levy Place, Box 11-30, New York, NY 10029. E-mail: paul.greene@mssm.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Mindfulness-based interventions and mindfulness techniques have become increasingly popular in psychosocial care.  These interventions have also been increasingly used with cancer patients and survivors. However, more attention is due to issues such as how these techniques may be specifically relevant for an oncology population and whether the religious derivation of mindfulness should be considered by frontline psychosocial clinicians. This article provides a history and overview of the use of mindfulness in psychosocial cancer care.

Keywords

Psycho-oncologyMindfulnessMeditationCancer

Information

Type
Review Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 10 , Issue 4 , December 2012 , pp. 287 - 294
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

Adler, N., et al. (2007). Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs. Joint report by the National Institutes of Health and Institute of Medicine. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Alfano, C.M. & Rowland, J.H. (2006). Recovery issues in cancer survivorship: A new challenge for supportive care. Cancer Journal, 12, 432–443.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Allen, N.B., Chambers, R. & Knight, W. (2006). Melbourne Academic Mindfulness Interest Group. Mindfulness-based psychotherapies: A review of conceptual foundations, empirical evidence and practical considerations. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40, 285–294.Google Scholar
Baer, R.A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10, 125–143.Google Scholar
Barlow, D.H. (2008). Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders. New York: The Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Breitbart, W.S., Park, J. & Katz, A.M. (2010). Pain. In: Psycho-Oncology, 2nd ed.. Holland, J.C., Breitbart, W.S., Jacobsen, P.B., et al. (eds.), pp. 215–228. New York: Oxford.Google Scholar
Brown, K.W. & Ryan, R.M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822–848.Google Scholar
Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs, Committee on Psychosocial Services to Cancer Patients/Families in a Community Setting, Adler, Nancy E. and Ann, E. K. Page, Editors, IOM 2008Google Scholar
Carlson, L.E. & Garland, S.N. (2005). Impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on sleep, mood, stress and fatigue symptoms in cancer outpatients. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12, 278–285.Google Scholar
Carlson, L.E., Speca, M., Faris, et al. (2007). One year pre-post intervention follow-up of psychological, immune, endocrine and blood pressure outcomes of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Brain Behavior & Immunity, 21, 1038–1049.Google Scholar
Carlson, L.E., Speca, M., Patel, K.D., et al. (2003). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress, and immune parameters in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 571–581.Google Scholar
Carlson, L.E., Speca, M., Patel, K.D., et al. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress and levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and melatonin in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 29, 448–474.Google Scholar
Cohen–Katz, J., Wiley, S.D., Capuano, T., et al. (2004). The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on nurse stress and burnout: A quantitative and qualitative study. Holistic Nursing Practice, 18, 302–308.Google Scholar
Cohen–Katz, J., Wiley, S., Capuano, T., et al. (2005). The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on nurse stress and burnout: A qualitative and quantitative study, part III. Holistic Nursing Practice, 19, 78–86.Google Scholar
Creswell, J.D., Myers, H.F., Cole, S.W., et al. (2009). Mindfulness meditation training effects on CD4+ T lymphocytes in HIV-1 infected adults: A small randomized controlled trial. Brain Behavior and Immunity, 23, 184–188.Google Scholar
Deyo, M., Wilson, K., Ong, J., et al. (2009). Mindfulness and rumination: Does mindfulness training lead to reductions in the ruminative thinking associated with with depression? Explore, 5, 265–271.Google Scholar
Ernst, S., Welke, J., Heintze, C., et al. (2008). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on quality of life in nursing home residents: a feasibility study. Forsch Komplementmed, 15, 74–81.Google Scholar
Finucane, A. & Mercer, S.W. (2006). An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care. Biomedcentral Psychiatry, 6, 14.Google ScholarPubMed
Fitzgibbon, D.R. (2001). Cancer pain: Management. In Bonica's Management of Pain. Loeser, J.D., Butler, S.H., Chapman, C.R., et al. (eds,), pp. 659–703. Philadelphia: Lippncott Williams & Willkins.Google Scholar
Gross, C.R., Kreitzer, M.J., Thomas, W., et al. (2010). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for solid organ transplant recipients: A randomized controlled trial. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 16, 30–38.Google Scholar
Hassed, C., de Lisle, S., Sullivan, G., et al. (2009). Enhancing the health of medical students: outcomes of an integrated mindfulness and lifestyle program. Advances in Health Sciences Education – Theory and Practice, 14, 387–398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hayes, S.C., Luoma, J.B., Bond, F.W., et al. (2006). ACT– Model, processes, & outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 1–25.Google Scholar
Hayes, S.C., Strosahl, K. & Wilson, K.G. (1999). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An Experiential Approach to Behavior Change. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Hayes, S.C., Wilson, K.G., Gifford, E.V., et al. (1996). Experiential avoidance and behvioral disorders: a functional dimensional approach to diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 1152–1168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hewitt, M., Greenfield, S. & Stovall, E. (2005). From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition. Committee on Cancer Survivorship: Improving Care and Quality of Life, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Hodges, L.J. & Humphris, G.M. (2009). Fear of recurrence and psychological distress in head and neck cancer patients and their carers. Psychooncology, 18, 841–848.Google Scholar
Humphris, G.M., Rogers, S., McNally, D., et al. (2003). Fear of recurrence and possible cases of anxiety and depression in orofacial cancer patients. International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 32, 486–491.Google Scholar
Irving, J.A., Dobkin, P.L. & Park, J. (2009). Cultivating mindfulness in health care professionals: A review of empirical studies of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 15, 61–66.Google Scholar
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry, 4, 33–47.Google Scholar
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. New York: Delta Trade.Google Scholar
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1993). Mindfulness meditation: Health benefits of an ancient Buddhist practice. In Mind Body Medicine. Goleman, D. & Gurin, J. (eds.), New York: Consumer Reports Books. pp. 259–275.Google Scholar
Kabat-Zinn, J., Lipworth, L. & Burney, R. (1985). The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 8, 163–190.Google Scholar
Kabat-Zinn, J., Lipworth, L., Burney, R., et al. (1987). Four-year follow-up of a meditation-based program for the self-regulation of chronic pain: Treatment outcomes and compliance. Clinical Journal of Pain, 2, 159–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kabat-Zinn, J, Massion, AO, Kristeller, J, et al. (1992). Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 936–943.Google Scholar
Kabat-Zinn, J., Wheeler, E., Light, T., et al. (1998). Influence of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention on rates of skin clearing in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis undergoing phototherapy (UVB) and photochemotherapy (PUVA). Psychosomatic Medicine, 60, 625–632.Google Scholar
Kangas, M., Bovbjerg, D.H. & Montgomery, G.H. (2008). Cancer-related fatigue: A systematic and meta-analytic review of non-pharmacological therapies for cancer patients. Psychological Bulletin, 134, 700–741.Google Scholar
Klatt, M.D., Buckworth, J. & Malarkey, W.B. (2009). Effects of low-dose mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR-ld) on working adults. Health Education & Behavior, 36, 601–614.Google Scholar
Ledesma, D. & Kumano, H. (2009) Mindfulness-based stress reduction and cancer: a meta-analysis. Psychooncology, 18, 571–579.Google Scholar
Lehto, R.H. & Cimprich, B. (2009). Worry and the formation of cognitive representations of illness in individuals undergoing surgery for suspected lung cancer. Cancer Nursing, 32, 2–10.Google Scholar
Lengacher, C.A., Johnson-Mallard, V., Post-White, J. (2009). Randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for survivors of breast cancer. Psychooncology, 18, 1261–1272.Google Scholar
Linehan, M.M. (1993). Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Ma, S.H. & Teasdale, J.D. (2004). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: Replication and exploration of differential relapse prevention effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 31–40.Google Scholar
Mako, C., Galek, K. & Poppito, S.R. (2006). Spiritual pain among patients with advanced cancer in palliative care. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 9, 1106–1113.Google Scholar
Marlatt, G.A. & Kristeller, J.L. (1999). Mindfulness and meditation. In Miller, W. R. (Ed.). Integrating Spirituality in Treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Books. pp. 67–84.Google Scholar
Massie, M.J. (2004). Prevalence of depression in patients with cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monograph, 32, 57–71.Google Scholar
Matchim, Y. & Armer, J. (2007). Measuring psychosocial impact of mindfulness meditation on health among patients with cancer: A literature review. Oncology Nursing Forum, 34, 1059–1066.Google Scholar
Moadel, A., Morgan, C., Fatone, A.., et al. (1999). Seeking meaning and hope: Self-reported spiritual and existential needs among an ethnically-diverse cancer patient population. Psychooncology, 8, 378–385.Google Scholar
Newport, D.J. & Nemeroff, C.B.. (1998). Assessment and treatment of depression in the cancer patient. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 45, 215–237.Google Scholar
Northouse, L. (1989). A longitudinal study of the adjustment of patients and husbands to breast cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 16, 511–516.Google ScholarPubMed
Nyklícek, I. & Kuijpers, K.F. (2008). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on psychological well-being and quality of life: is increased mindfulness indeed the mechanism? Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 35, 331–340.Google Scholar
Oman, D., Shapiro, S.L., Thoresen, C.E., et al. (2008). Meditation lowers stress and supports forgiveness among college students: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of American College Health, 56, 569–578.Google Scholar
Ott, M.J., Norris, R.L & Bauer-Wu, S.M. (2006). Mindfulness meditation for oncology patients: A discussion and critical review. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 5, 98–108.Google Scholar
Plews-Ogan, M., Owens, J.E., Goodman, M., et al. (2005). A pilot study evaluating mindfulness-based stress reduction and massage for the management of chronic pain. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 20, 1136–1138.Google Scholar
Pradhan, E.K., Baumgarten, M. & Langenberg, P., et al. (2007). Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Arthritis and Rheumatism, 57, 1134–1142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reibel, D.K., Greeson, J.M., Brainard, G.C., et al. (2001). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health-related quality of life in a heterogeneous patient population. General Hospital Psychiatry, 23, 183–192.Google Scholar
Rizvi, S.L. & Linehan, M.M. (2001). Dialectical behavior therapy for personality disorders. Current Psychiatry Reports, 3, 64–69.Google Scholar
Rosenzweig, S., Reibel, D.K., Greeson, J.M., et al. (2003). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 15, 88–92.Google Scholar
Salmon, P., Lush, E., Jablonski, M., et al. (2009). Yoga and mindfulness: Clinical aspects of an ancient mind/body practice. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 16, 59–72.Google Scholar
Scherwitz, L., Pullman, M., McHenry, P., et al. (2006). A contemplative care approach to training and supporting hospice volunteers: A prospective study of spiritual practice, well-being, and fear of death. Explore (NY), 2,304–313.Google Scholar
Schultz, J. H. & Luthe, W. (1959). Autogenic Training: A Psychophysiologic Approach to Psychotherapy. New York: Grune and Stratton.Google Scholar
Segal, Z.V., Williams, J.M.G. & Teasdale, J.D. (2002). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy For Depression: A New Approach To Preventing Relapse. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Sephton, S.E., Salmon, P., Weissbecker, I., et al. (2007). Mindfulness meditation alleviates depressive symptoms in women with fibromyalgia: Results of a randomized clinical trial. Arthritis and Rheumatism, 57, 77–85.Google Scholar
Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Astin, J., et al. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 373–386.Google Scholar
Shaw Welch, S., Rizvi, S. & Dimidjian, S. (2006). Mindfulness in dialectical behavioral therapy for borderline personality disorder. In Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches. Baer, R.A. (ed.). New York: Academic Press. pp. 117–142.Google Scholar
Simard, S., Savard, J. & Ivers, H. (2010). Fear of cancer recurrence: Specific profiles and nature of intrusive thoughts. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 4, 361–371.Google Scholar
Skaali, T., Fosså, S.D., Bremnes, R., et al. (2009). Fear of recurrence in long-term testicular cancer survivors. Psychooncology, 18, 580–588.Google Scholar
Smith, J.E., Richardson, J., Hoffman, C., et al. (2005). Mindfulness-based stress reduction as supportive therapy in cancer care: Systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52, 315–327.Google Scholar
Speca, M., Carlson, L., Goodey, E., et al. (2000). A randomized, wait-list controlled clinical trial: The effect of a mindfulness meditation based stress reduction program on mood an symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62, 613–622.Google Scholar
Stefanek, M.E., Shaw, A., DeGeorge, D., et al. (1989). Illness-related worry among cancer patients: prevalence, severity, and content. Cancer Investigations, 7, 365–371.Google Scholar
Strang, P., Strang, S., Hultborn, R., et al. (2004) Existential pain-–an entity, a provocation, or a challenge? Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 27, 241–250.Google Scholar
Tacon, A.M., Caldera, Y.M. & Ronaghan, C. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in women with breast cancer. Families, Systems & Health, 2, 193–203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teasdale, J.D., Segal, Z.V., Williams, J.M.G., et al. (2000). Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 615–623.Google Scholar
Weiss, M., Nordlie, J.W. & Siegel, E.P. (2005). MBSR as an adjunct to outpatient psychotherapy. Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics, 74, 108–112.Google Scholar
Witek-Janusek, L., Albuquerque, K., Chroniak, K.R., et al. (2008). Effect of mindfulness based stress reduction on immune function, quality of life and coping in women newly diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 22, 969–981.Google Scholar
Wolpe, J. (1958). Psychotherapy by Reciprocal Inhibition. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Zabora, J., Brintzenhofeszoc, K., Curbow, B., et al. (2001). The prevalence of psychological distress by cancer site. Psychooncology, 10, 19–28.Google Scholar