# Development and cultural-tailoring of an inpatient yoga therapy program for cancer patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in India, Tanzania, and the United States

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2022 · $207,572

## Abstract

Abstract
This application is being submitted in response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) identified as NOT-CA22-
054. Cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have less access to integrative oncology
programs than their counterparts in high-income countries. This is especially true of countries on the African
continent, such as Tanzania. This international, collaborative research program will capitalize on a newly formed
partnership between Healthcare Global Enterprises (HCG), headquartered in Bengaluru, India with 24 centers
across India and seven centers performing hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCTs), and Muhimbili
National Hospital (MNH), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and existing partnerships between MD Anderson, Houston,
USA and Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA), Bengaluru, India, and between HCG
and S-VYASA. HCG helps to oversee HSCTs at MNH, where they are performing the only transplants in
Tanzania. Yoga therapy (YT) is an evidence-based mind-body practice that can be used throughout the cancer
experience from diagnosis to survivorship as well as alongside end of life care. Specifically, YT is safe and
effective for relieving sleep disruption, nausea, fatigue, pain, psychosocial distress, musculoskeletal symptoms,
and cognitive dysfunction, all common symptoms experience during HSCT. Although YT is starting to be
incorporated alongside conventional cancer care, it has not been investigated in an inpatient setting. No studies
have investigated the efficacy of YT in undergoing HSCT. YT is also not commonly provided within the hospital
systems in India and Tanzania. We propose to develop an inpatient yoga program for delivery during
hospitalization for HSCT tailored to patients in the US, India, and Tanzania and examine the feasibility and initial
efficacy of the inpatient YT program. Once the program is developed and deemed feasible, a larger
multicenter/country efficacy study will be conducted to validate the benefits of YT as an adjuvant to cancer
patients undergoing HSCT in US, India, Tanzania, and possibly other countries in Africa as HCG expands their
collaborative partners. The collaborative team will develop an inpatient yoga program initially designed for
patients undergoing HSCT, but that can ultimately be tailored to any inpatient setting. Modifications will be made
for each country and tailored for cultural sensitivity. Pilot testing will be done in each of the three countries.
Subsequent multicenter trials will be conducted across multiple countries and across multiple centers within each
country. The specific aims of this formative developmental research are to: 1) Develop a culturally-tailored YT
program for HSCT patients. Guided by a social-ecological/contextual framework, we will conduct semi-structured
interviews with patients from each center to examine cultural norms, culturally sensitive language, and specific
factors relevant to yoga and psychosocial support; and 2)...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10622244
- **Project number:** 3P30CA016672-46S3
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Lorenzo Cohen
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $207,572
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1996-08-28 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10622244

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10622244, Development and cultural-tailoring of an inpatient yoga therapy program for cancer patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in India, Tanzania, and the United States (3P30CA016672-46S3). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10622244. Licensed CC0.

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