Tai Chi and Qigong
After Cancer Treatment
For many people, completing cancer treatment does not mean that the effects of the disease and its treatment are over. Fatigue, disturbed sleep, pain, and emotional distress can continue for months or even years. A large new study suggests that Taijiquan and Qigong may offer a useful way of helping survivors manage several of these problems at the same time.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in September 2026, the "Mindfulness and Tai Chi for Cancer Health (MATCH) study" included 587 cancer survivors who were experiencing significant distress following treatment. Participants averaged about 61 years of age and represented a wide range of cancers, including breast, prostate, gastrointestinal, gynecological, lung, and others. Both early and advanced stages of cancer were represented.
Researchers compared two mind-body approaches: Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery and a combined Tai Chi/Qigong program. Some participants selected the approach they preferred, while others agreed to be randomly assigned. Each intervention was also compared with participants placed on a waiting list.
After the 11-week program, those practicing Tai Chi/Qigong reported significantly better sleep than the waiting-list controls, with an average improvement of 1.9 points on the study's sleep-quality scale. They also experienced reduced fatigue and less interference with daily life from pain. The mindfulness program similarly improved fatigue and pain interference, although its effect on sleep was not statistically significant.
Importantly, the researchers did not find one approach generally superior to the other. Nor did it appear to matter whether participants had chosen their preferred practice or had been assigned to it. Both approaches offered measurable benefits.
The size and design of the study make it particularly noteworthy. Many previous investigations of Taijiquan and Qigong have involved relatively small groups or focused on people with a single type of cancer. MATCH included nearly 600 participants with different diagnoses and stages of disease, making it one of the more substantial investigations of these practices in cancer survivorship.
The findings also raise an interesting question about how we think about symptoms following illness. Sleep problems, fatigue, and pain are often treated as separate complaints, yet the researchers found that changes in these symptoms were correlated. When one improved, others sometimes improved as well. The authors suggest that this supports a "whole-person" approach rather than viewing each symptom entirely in isolation.
Taijiquan and Qigong are particularly interesting in this context because they combine several elements that are often studied separately. Gentle physical movement is accompanied by attention, breathing, relaxation, body awareness, and coordination. Rather than targeting a single symptom directly, the practice engages the person as an integrated system.
That does not mean Taijiquan or Qigong should be considered treatments for cancer. The participants in this study had already undergone cancer treatment, and the researchers were investigating ways to help manage the lingering symptoms of survivorship. People recovering from cancer also vary considerably in their physical condition, so any exercise program should be appropriate for the individual and coordinated with medical care when necessary.
What the MATCH study provides is stronger evidence for a more modest, but still important, conclusion. For people dealing with fatigue, disrupted sleep, pain, and distress after cancer treatment, gentle mind-body practices may provide another practical tool for recovery. And because Taijiquan and Qigong address movement, attention, and awareness together, their benefits may not fit neatly into only one category.
The primary study is the September 16, 2026 report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Its findings also fit into a larger evidence base: the ASCO–Society for Integrative Oncology guideline previously found moderate-certainty evidence supporting Tai Chi or Qigong for cancer-related fatigue during treatment.
Read the MATCH study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology
https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO-25-01967
