Effect of Adjuvant Yoga Therapy on Bio-Psycho-Social outcomes on Chemotherapy receiving cancer patients: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Cancer and chemotherapy impose significant physical, psychological, and social burdens on patients. Adjuvant yoga therapy is increasingly recognized as a complementary approach that supports holistic wellbeing. This narrative review evaluates the impact of yoga therapy on selected bio-psycho-social parameters, including European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer - Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), Visual Analogue Scale(VAS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Urea, Creatinine, C-reactive protein (CRP), Random Blood Sugar (RBS), Sense of Coherence (SOC) and Prakriti analysis using AyuSoft software. A literature search was conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and UGC care journals, including RCTs, quasi-experimental, cohort, and observational studies involving adult chemotherapy patients receiving structured yoga interventions. Evidence suggests that yoga offers multidimensional benefits, reducing fatigue, pain, and sleep disturbances, improving inflammation and metabolic balance, with favorable effects on CRP and RBS, and neutral to mildly positive outcomes on renal biomarkers. Yoga consistently enhances quality of life, emotional and cognitive functioning, resilience, psychological wellbeing, and Sense of Coherence. Increasing research highlights the potential for personalized therapy through Prakriti-based assessment. Overall, adjuvant yoga therapy appears safe and effective, and its integration into routine cancer care may improve recovery, symptom management, emotional wellbeing, sleep quality, and overall quality of life, while future multicentric trials are recommended to establish standardized and personalized protocols.