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The research focused on gentle types of yoga / photo: Shutterstock/Slatan
Spas offering cancer-friendly treatments may want to consider adding yoga to the mix if a new study sponsored by the US National Institute of Health is anything to go by.
Research led by the University of Rochester Medical Centre found that cancer patients practising yoga benefit from reduced levels of inflammation, which is linked to the growth of tumours.
Gentle yoga The study*, which was published at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), was based on more than 500 cancer survivors. All participants, who had an average age of 56, had received cancer treatment between two months and five years earlier.
Half of the group, picked at random, enrolled on a programme by Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS), which includes gentle hatha and restorative yoga – not more intense versions like ashtanga or bikram.
They practised 75-minute yoga sessions two times a week for a month.
The other half took part in a placebo programme devised by ASCO focused on health education.
Each group was monitored using a series of blood tests throughout the four-week period and checked for levels of inflammation.
Reduced inflammation Inflammation, both acute and chronic, is universally associated with primary and secondary cancer development and progression, as well as a myriad of toxicities that negatively affect cancer treatment adherence and survival.
Those who took up the YOCAS yoga had “significantly lower levels of pro-inflammatory markers,” when compared with the group attending education classes.
The researchers said: “Clinicians should consider prescribing [YOCAS yoga] for survivors experiencing inflammation” as it could help them on their road to recovery and even prevent cancer from returning.
*Mustian KM et al. Effects of yoga vs placebo on inflammation among cancer survivors: A nationwide multicenter phase III randomised controlled trial. ASCO. 2023
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2023 issue 3
Editor's letter: Reflection point
As Spa Business celebrates its 20th birthday, Katie Barnes pauses for thought and rejoices in the industry’s evolution
Spa People: 20th anniversary issue: Anna Bjurstam
The strategic senior advisor at Six Senses and Raison d'Etre on being initiated as a shaman, why psychedelics are here to stay and her bigger fear for the global spa industry
Promotion: Klafs: Relax into wellbeing
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News report: Eastern promise
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Jeremy McCarthy: Theory of evolution
From spa to wellness and now leisure – Spa Business’ contributing editor looks at where hospitality experiences are heading
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Lemi is committed to leading with innovation to create
cutting-edge treatment room solutions that excel
in terms of performance and eco-credentials
Promotion: G.M. COLLIN: Collagen pioneers
GM Collin’s expertise in collagen research and product formulation has resulted in the creation of a new serum that combats age-related skin degeneration
Promotion: Comfort Zone: A brighter future
Consumers are increasingly interested in reducing dark spots and hyperpigmentation and a new line from Comfort Zone has been launched to address this emerging need
Promotion: Art of Cryo: Life changing experience
Vikki and Robbie are often exhausted after work. A visit to the spa to experience
the Art of Cryo Tech-Spa Module is a chance to re-set and rejuvenate together
The research focused on gentle types of yoga / photo: Shutterstock/Slatan
Spas offering cancer-friendly treatments may want to consider adding yoga to the mix if a new study sponsored by the US National Institute of Health is anything to go by.
Research led by the University of Rochester Medical Centre found that cancer patients practising yoga benefit from reduced levels of inflammation, which is linked to the growth of tumours.
Gentle yoga The study*, which was published at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), was based on more than 500 cancer survivors. All participants, who had an average age of 56, had received cancer treatment between two months and five years earlier.
Half of the group, picked at random, enrolled on a programme by Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS), which includes gentle hatha and restorative yoga – not more intense versions like ashtanga or bikram.
They practised 75-minute yoga sessions two times a week for a month.
The other half took part in a placebo programme devised by ASCO focused on health education.
Each group was monitored using a series of blood tests throughout the four-week period and checked for levels of inflammation.
Reduced inflammation Inflammation, both acute and chronic, is universally associated with primary and secondary cancer development and progression, as well as a myriad of toxicities that negatively affect cancer treatment adherence and survival.
Those who took up the YOCAS yoga had “significantly lower levels of pro-inflammatory markers,” when compared with the group attending education classes.
The researchers said: “Clinicians should consider prescribing [YOCAS yoga] for survivors experiencing inflammation” as it could help them on their road to recovery and even prevent cancer from returning.
*Mustian KM et al. Effects of yoga vs placebo on inflammation among cancer survivors: A nationwide multicenter phase III randomised controlled trial. ASCO. 2023
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2023 issue 3
Editor's letter: Reflection point
As Spa Business celebrates its 20th birthday, Katie Barnes pauses for thought and rejoices in the industry’s evolution
Spa People: 20th anniversary issue: Anna Bjurstam
The strategic senior advisor at Six Senses and Raison d'Etre on being initiated as a shaman, why psychedelics are here to stay and her bigger fear for the global spa industry
Promotion: Klafs: Relax into wellbeing
Klafs and Studio F. A. Porsche have combined their design and wellness expertise to create an oasis for total-body relaxation
News report: Eastern promise
Japan’s spa industry is valued at US$4.2 billion and is part of the world's third highest-performing wellness economy
Jeremy McCarthy: Theory of evolution
From spa to wellness and now leisure – Spa Business’ contributing editor looks at where hospitality experiences are heading
Promotion: Lemi: Built to last
Lemi is committed to leading with innovation to create
cutting-edge treatment room solutions that excel
in terms of performance and eco-credentials
Promotion: G.M. COLLIN: Collagen pioneers
GM Collin’s expertise in collagen research and product formulation has resulted in the creation of a new serum that combats age-related skin degeneration
Promotion: Comfort Zone: A brighter future
Consumers are increasingly interested in reducing dark spots and hyperpigmentation and a new line from Comfort Zone has been launched to address this emerging need
Promotion: Art of Cryo: Life changing experience
Vikki and Robbie are often exhausted after work. A visit to the spa to experience
the Art of Cryo Tech-Spa Module is a chance to re-set and rejuvenate together
People taking GLP-1 weight loss medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound
may be losing weight, but they’re also becoming less physically active, according to new
research presented at the ENDO 2026 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Global retreat trade show, Synergy The Retreat Show, has launched a resource called The
Source, which hosts an open-access online Transformation Series programme.
The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
day Living with Cancer and Beyond retreat, which will be held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in
Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
renovation, which has cost more than US$180 million (€166 million, £140 mill
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
