Long-term yogic intervention decreases serum interleukins IL-10 and IL-1β and improves cancer-related fatigue and functional scale during radiotherapy/chemotherapy in breast cancer patients: a randomized control study

Purpose Yoga improved fatigue and immunological profile in cancer survivors and has been a promising alternative therapy. Breast cancer treatments are rapidly improving, along with their side effects. This article investigated the effect of the yogic intervention at a different time interval during radiotherapy/chemotherapy on the pro-and anti-inflammatory interleukins along with the cancer-related fatigue and functional scale among patients with stage II/III breast cancer.Methods A total of 96 stage II/III breast cancer patients were enrolled in this study and randomly divided into two different groups. Group I (non-Yoga) received chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and group II (Yoga) received an additional yogic intervention. Both groups were followed up for a period of 48 weeks and blood was collected at the time of enrollment, 16, 32, and 48 weeks, and serum was isolated to measure the pro-and anti-inflammatory interleukins, fatigue, and functional scale questionnaire obtained at each time point.Results Breast cancer patients in group II showed a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in the functional scale and fatigue from baseline to 48 weeks compared to group I. The yogic intervention significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the level of pro inflammatory interleukin IL-1(3 and pleiotropic interleukin IL-10 in group II compared to group I.Conclusion These finding suggested that improved fatigue and functional scale is associated with a lower level of IL-1(3 and IL-10. Yoga may be an important additional therapy along with the cancer treatment to help the patients with cancer-related fatigue and improve their overall immunological profile.