Landmark Study Shows Mindfulness and Tai Chi Improve Mood in Cancer Survivors—Regardless of Patient Preference
June 12, 2025 — Calgary, AB and Toronto, ON — A groundbreaking multisite clinical trial has revealed that two popular mind-body therapies—Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) and Tai Chi/Qigong (TCQ)—significantly improve mood in distressed cancer survivors with any type or stage of cancer, and benefits were observed whether participants chose the program themselves or were randomly assigned.
The study, published today in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology, is the first of its kind to directly compare the effectiveness of MBCR and TCQ in a large, preference-based randomized trial involving 587 distressed cancer survivors from Calgary and Toronto. Participants were diagnosed with any type of cancer, at any stage of severity, improving the generalizability of the results.
Led by Dr. Linda E. Carlson of University of Calgary, Dr. Jennifer Jones of University of Toronto and Dr. Peter Wayne from Harvard Medical School’s Osher Center for Integrative Health, the MATCH (Mindfulness and Tai Chi for Cancer Health) study found that both interventions led to meaningful reductions in mood disturbance compared to waitlist controls in distressed cancer survivors.
“Our results show that mindfulness and Tai Chi can both be powerful tools to help cancer survivors manage distress and improve emotional well-being,” said Dr. Carlson, Professor of Oncology at the University of Calgary. “Importantly, it didn’t matter whether patients chose the program or were randomly assigned—they benefited either way — expanding generalizability into the real-word.”
Participants completed primary cancer treatments who reported elevated distress were eligible. Of those enrolled, 64% expressed a preference—57% for Tai Chi/Qigong and 43% for MBCR—while the remainder accepted random assignment. Interventions included group-based programs with home practice, designed for real-world implementation.
Key Findings:
- Both MBCR and TCQ significantly improved mood disturbance (measured via the Profile of Mood States) relative to controls.
- MBCR showed stronger improvements in tension and anger; TCQ led to greater reductions in depression and anger.
- Improvements were observed across age groups, cancer stages, and regardless of treatment preference.
- Women responded more strongly than men to MBCR, while younger individuals and those with advanced cancer stages benefited more from TCQ than older people with less serious disease.
Dr. Peter Wayne, co-investigator from Harvard Medical School, noted, “Tai Chi’s gentle, flowing movements combined with mindfulness may be especially helpful for patients coping with fatigue or advanced illness.”
The study’s pragmatic, patient-centered design makes the results highly relevant to supportive cancer care across diverse populations. The MATCH trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02801123) and supported by research teams at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
About the Research Team:
The MATCH study was led by Dr. Linda E. Carlson (University of Calgary) with collaborators Dr. Jennifer M. Jones and Dr. Daniel Santa Mina (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre), Dr. Peter Wayne (Harvard Medical School, Osher Center for Integrative Health), and others. The study was funded by the Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation and was published under DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO-24-02540.