A cancer research center in the University of Texas has announced a collaboration with Bangalore-based Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Sansthana to scientifically validate the age-old belief that mind-body interventions have a beneficial impact on the health of cancer patients.

The University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center said on Friday that the effort builds on a cooperative, cross-cultural relationship between researchers, representing a shared mission to increase integration of yoga-based therapies into cancer treatment to enhance quality of life.

In their future research, the two institutes plan to utilise brain-imaging technology to pinpoint precisely where changes take place in the brain and to confirm previous research that showed certain brain regions were affected by meditation-based programs.

"Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana has an outstanding history of clinical and research-based discoveries related to the effects of yoga on both healthy people and those suffering from cancer," said Thomas Brown, vice president for Extramural Programs at M. D. Anderson.

"By sharing our expertise in multi-disciplinary cancer care, we can advance scientific understanding of how the mind works in concert with the body to benefit cancer patients around the world," Brown said.

According to the university, researchers from both institutions are currently studying the effects of yoga on breast cancer patients undergoing radiation treatments. They are exploring whether participating in a yoga program diminishes patients' fatigue and sleep disturbances while improving overall quality of life, mental health, stress hormone levels, and aspects of immune function.

A follow-up study that will be funded by the National Cancer Institute in July 2005 will measure the benefits of yoga on similar outcomes.