A randomized control trial of meditation compared to music listening to improve cognitive function for breast cancer survivors: Feasibility and acceptability.

BACKGROUND and Purpose: Many breast cancer survivors (BCS) experience persistent cognitive and psychological changes associated with their cancer and/or treatment and that have limited treatment options. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility and effects of a Kirtan Kriya meditation (KK) intervention on cognitive and psychological symptoms compared to an attention control condition, classical music listening (ML), in BCS. MATERIALS AND METHODS A randomized control trial design was used. Participants completed eight-week interventions. Cognitive function and psychological symptoms were measured at baseline and post-intervention. Mixed analysis of variance models were examined for all cognitive and psychological outcomes. RESULTS 27 BCS completed the study. Intervention adherence was 88%. Both groups improved in perceived cognitive impairments, cognition related quality of life, verbal memory, and verbal fluency (p's < 0.01). There were no significant group by time effects for cognitive and psychological outcomes, except stress. The ML group reported lower stress at time 2 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION KK and ML are feasible, acceptable, and cost-effective interventions that may be beneficial for survivors' cognition and psychological symptoms. Both interventions were easy to learn, low cost, and required just 12 min/day. Meditation or music listening could offer providers evidence-based suggestions to BCS experiencing cognitive symptoms. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT03696056.