Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognitive impairment in patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Cognitive impairment has been widely reported among cancer survivors, significantly impacting their quality of life. Mindfulness interventions are increasingly used to alleviate cognitive impairment in patients with cancer. This study aimed to assess the effects of mindfulness interventions on cognitive impairment in patients with cancer post-intervention and at follow-up. Methods Up until February 2024, five English databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, and PsycINFO) and three Chinese databases (CNKI, Wan Fang, and CBM) were searched to identify relevant studies. To determine the effect size, we used random effects model to compute the standardized mean difference and 95 % confidence intervals. Results We included 23 randomized controlled trials and seven non-randomized controlled trials. Mindfulness interventions significantly improved patients’ subjective cognitive function post-intervention (SMD between-group =0.81, 95 %CI : 0.58 to 1.03; SMD within-group =1.12, 95 %CI : 0.71 to 1.52) and at follow-up (SMD between-group =0.39, 95 %CI : 0.09 to 0.68; SMD within-group =0.59, 95 %CI : 0.35 to 0.82). Subgroup analysis indicated significantly larger effect of the interventions in developing countries than those in developed countries ( p between-group =0.014; p within-group =0.008), and of the interventions without additional home practice than those with home practice in within-group comparisons ( p between-group =0.217; p within-group =0.018). There were no significant differences in the effects between interventions lasting ≥eight weeks and < eight weeks ( p between-group =0.093; p between-group =0.303). However, no significant effects were observed on objective cognitive function. Conclusions Mindfulness-based interventions can effectively improve the subjective cognitive function in cancer patients both post-intervention and at follow-up. Future intervention research should take into account regions, home practice, and intervention duration.