A study will begin in the US this December to test the effectiveness of yoga in tackling the inflammation commonly suffered by cancer patients, caused either by tumours or treatments.

A form of yoga therapy, developed at the University of Rochester Medical Center, called “Yocas”, has been devised for cancer patients and survivors. Patients will practice this form of yoga at home after learning the yoga technique during four weeks of classes. They will then be monitored for a number of months afterwards to see whether the relaxation or physical conditioning aspects of Yocas will reduce inflammation in cancer sufferers.

The study will be led by Dr Karen Mustian from the Wilmot Cancer Institute. Mustian previously led a study which found that yoga intervention improved cancer patients’ sleep quality.