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

The study was small and not powered for efficacy because its aim was feasibility. Participants were recruited by convenience from flyers, so they may not represent all breast cancer survivors. The findings apply only to women with breast cancer who had chemotherapy and reported cognitive symptoms. There was no usual-care or waitlist control, so time, attention, relaxation, and practice effects cannot be separated from the interventions. Adherence and fidelity were based on participant logs, which can be inaccurate. Remote delivery meant meditation performance was not observed, so participants may have done it differently or incorrectly. The cognitive tests used may not have been sensitive enough to detect change that participants perceived. The analysis did not correct for multiple comparisons, so some secondary findings may be chance results. Intention-to-treat with last observation carried forward can reduce sensitivity to detect true differences. Many meditation participants reported boredom or difficulty maintaining the same practice daily.

Do not read the within-group changes as proof that meditation or music listening improves cancer-related cognitive impairment. The study was a small feasibility trial, and the primary cognitive comparison did not show a difference between groups.