Effect of a structured yoga program on fatigue, depression, cardiorespiratory fitness, and quality of life in a postmenopausal breast cancer survivor

Ashwini A Dangi, Sheetal K Aurangabadkar, Medha V Deo

International Journal of Yoga 2018 11(3):255-257

A 52-year-old postmenopausal female diagnosed with duct carcinoma of the left breast underwent modified radical mastectomy 2 years ago. She had completed six cycles of chemotherapy postsurgery and complained of significant fatigue and depression. Her fatigue score on Piper Fatigue Scale was 4.1 and depression score on Beck's Depression Inventory was 22. She had a poor 6-min walking distance and a reduced quality of life. She was given a structured yoga program for 40 min five times a week for 4 weeks. Results showed a marked reduction in fatigue and depression scores and improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness. Her quality of life also showed improvement after the structured yoga therapy. This case report highlights the benefits of yoga for reducing fatigue, depression, and improving the cardiorespiratory fitness and overall quality of life in a breast cancer survivor.