Qigong and Tai Chi Show Significant Benefit for Anxiety in People with Cancer, Network Meta-Analysis Finds

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People living with cancer frequently experience depression and anxiety, and mind-body therapies are increasingly used alongside conventional treatment to address these symptoms. However, until now there has been limited evidence directly comparing which specific mind-body approaches work best.

This systematic review and network meta-analysis searched ten major databases up to February 2025, identifying 182 randomised controlled studies involving 16,835 participants with cancer. The researchers used network meta-analysis to rank the effectiveness of different mind-body therapies — including biofeedback, spiritual interventions, mindfulness-based interventions, yoga, qigong and Tai Chi, physical relaxation, and music therapy — against usual care for both depression and anxiety symptoms.

For depression symptoms, biofeedback, spiritual interventions, and mindfulness-based interventions each produced statistically significant large effects compared with usual care. For anxiety symptoms, yoga, mindfulness-based interventions, physical relaxation, qigong and Tai Chi, and music therapy all demonstrated statistically significant large effects. Qigong and Tai Chi specifically showed a standardised mean difference of negative 0.90 for anxiety reduction, placing them among the top-ranked therapies for that outcome.

The authors recommend that qigong and Tai Chi be prioritised as options for managing anxiety symptoms in people with cancer, alongside other highly ranked mind-body therapies.

Conclusion: This large network meta-analysis provides evidence that qigong and Tai Chi are among the most effective mind-body therapies for reducing anxiety symptoms in people with cancer, supporting their integration into supportive cancer care.

Source: Birling Y, Bhuyan DJ, Feng F et al. Current oncology reports (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42151454) · doi:10.1016/j.ctrv.2015.06.003

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