Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jun;13(3):186-93.
doi: 10.5114/pm.2014.43823. Epub 2014 Jun 30.

Effect of a 10-week yoga programme on the quality of life of women after breast cancer surgery

Aleksandra Andysz  1 , Dorota Merecz  1 , Aleksandra Wójcik  1 , Beata Świątkowska  2 , Kamilla Sierocka  3 , Anna Najder  1
Affiliations

Effect of a 10-week yoga programme on the quality of life of women after breast cancer surgery

Aleksandra Andysz et al. Prz Menopauzalny. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Aim of the study: The following research is aimed at determining the effect of yoga on the quality of life of women after breast cancer surgery.

Material and methods: A 10-week yoga programme included 90-minute yoga lessons once a week. To estimate the quality of life, questionnaires developed by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23) were used. An experimental group consisted of 12 women who practised yoga, a control group - of 16 women who did not. Between groups there were no differences in age, time from operation and characteristics associated with disease, treatment and participation in rehabilitation.

Results: Our results revealed an improvement of general health and quality of life, physical and social functioning as well as a reduction of difficulties in daily activities among exercising women. Also their future prospects enhanced - they worried less about their health than they used to before participating in the programme. As compared to baseline, among exercising women, fatigue, dyspnoea and discomfort (pain, swelling, sensitivity) in the arm and breast on the operated side decreased.

Conclusions: Participation in the exercising programme resulted in an improvement of physical functioning, reduction of fatigue, dyspnoea, and discomfort in the area of the breast and arm on the operated side. Based on our results and those obtained in foreign studies, we conclude that rehabilitation with the use of yoga practice improves the quality of life of the patients after breast cancer surgery. However, we recommend further research on this issue in Poland.

Keywords: breast cancer; mastectomy; quality of life; rehabilitation; yoga.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Trentham-Dietz A, Sprague Bl, Klein R, et al. Health-related quality of life before and after a breast cancer diagnosis. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2008;109:379–387. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Montazeri A, Vahdaninia M, Harirchi I, et al. Quality of life in patients with breast cancer before and after diagnosis: an eighteen months follow-up study. BMC Cancer. 2008;8:330. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Didkowska J, Wojciechowska U, Zatoński W. Nowotwory złośliwe w Polsce w 2011 roku; Warszawa: Krajowy Rejestr Nowotworów, Zaklad Epidemiologii i Prewencji Nowotworów; 2013.
    1. Didkowska J, Zatoński W, Wojciechowska U. Prognozy zachorowalności i umieralności na nowotwory złośliwe w Polsce do 2025 roku; Warszawa: Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie; 2009. Centrum Onkologii – Instytut im.
    1. Zatoński W, Mańczuk M, Sulkowska U. Wyrównywanie róznic w zdrowiu między krajami Unii Europejskiej; Warszawa: Zakład Epidemiologii i Prewencji Nowotworów, Centrum Onkologii – Instytut im. Marii Skłodowskiej Curie;

LinkOut - more resources