The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program consists of an 8-week (2.5 hr/wk) program with a 6-hour silent mindful practice retreat after the fifth week. A licensed clinical psychologist, certified as an MBSR instructor, will provide instruction to all groups. Mindfulness will be taught using breath awareness, sitting and walking meditation, and mindful yoga. Participants will be given a standardized session-by-session program workbook containing weekly objectives and assignments, as well as two practice recordings and the book, Full Catastrophe Living (Kabat-Zinn, J, 1990).

The active comparator condition consists of an 8-week educational series, administered in group-format, and matched in duration and frequency to the MBSR program. Session topics include: 1) Understanding Breast Cancer and Risks for Breast Cancer, 2) Breast Cancer Treatment, 3) Communicating Effectively with your Health Care Providers; Keeping your Medical Records, 4) Genetic Testing and Cancer, 5) Nutrition and Cancer, (6) Cooking Demonstration, 7) Bone Health, and 8) Image and Cancer (American Cancer Society - Look Good, Feel Better). The program content and objectives were reviewed by four content experts (oncology clinicians) and two breast cancer survivors.

Natural killer cell lytic activity (NKCA) against tumor targets will be assessed ex vivo using participant peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in a standard chromium release assay, as we described previously (Witek-Janusek, L. et al., 2007).

Plasma levels of cytokines, Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) alpha and PBMC cytokine production of these cytokines and interferon (IFN) gamma will be determined. Measurement of individual cytokines will be by quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay (R & D Systems, Minneapolis, MN), as we described previously (Witek-Janusek, L. et al., 2007; Witek-Janusek, et al., 2008).

The construct, perceived stress, will be measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, S. et al., 1983). The Perceived Stress Scale is a 10-item instrument that assesses the degree to which life experiences are appraised as uncontrollable. Individual items are summed, with scores ranging from 0 (minimum) to 40 (maximum); higher scores indicate higher perceived stress.

The construct, depression, will be measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression scale. This is a 20-item measure that asks individuals to rate how often over the past week they experienced symptoms associated with depression. Individual items are summed with scores ranging from 0 (minimum) to 60 (maximum); higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms (Radloff, LS, 1977).

Cortisol diurnal rhythm is determined by repeated measure of salivary cortisol (Kirschbaum, C and Hellhammer, DH. 1994). This allows frequent non-invasive sampling under everyday conditions. Subjects will collect saliva samples upon awakening (within 15 minutes of awakening), and at 1200, 1700, and 2200 hr on 2 consecutive days. Centrifuged samples will be frozen and assayed in duplicate using immunoassay kits (Salimetrics™), which measure biologically active (non-protein bound) cortisol.