Mindfulness-based Tx doesn't cut distress in prostate cancer

(HealthDay)—For men with advanced prostate cancer (PC), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) does not reduce distress more than minimally enhanced usual care, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Suzanne K. Chambers, Ph.D., from Griffith University in Gold Coast, Australia, and colleagues randomized men with advanced PC to receive an eight-week group-based MBCT intervention delivered by telephone (94 men; 14 MBCT groups) or to minimally enhanced usual care (95 men). Assessments were conducted at baseline and at three, six, and nine months.

In intention-to-treat analyses, the researchers observed no significant changes in intervention outcomes (psychological distress, cancer-specific distress, and prostate-specific antigen anxiety) or in engagement with mindfulness for men in either group. In per-protocol analyses, there were no differences between the arms in outcomes or engagement, except for the mindfulness skill of observing, which increased over time for the MBCT versus usual care group (P = 0.032).

"MBCT in this format was not more effective than minimally enhanced usual care in reducing distress in men with advanced PC," the authors write. "Future intervention research for these men should consider approaches that map more closely to masculinity."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Copyright © 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.