PURPOSE: Meditation is well known for its positive effects on recovery and quality of life enhancement among cancer patients. Meditation as an adjuvant therapy has received extensive attention from international scholars in relieving pain, reducing psychological pressure and improving the quality of life of cancer patients. In this study, we examine the current status of meditation in cancer research and its potential application value and future development. METHODS: We collected 825 articles published in the Web of science Core Collection between January 1, 1976, and July 1, 2024, covering 11 cancer types. Bibliometric tools such as VOSviewer, Citespace, and Biblioshiny were used to analyze publication trends, international collaborations, author contributions, keywords, co-citations, and journal impact. RESULTS: First, the steadily rising number of publications indicates an increasing scholarly focus on meditation's benefits for patients. Second, the USA, Australia, and China are the countries with the highest number of publications in each of the three clusters. Additionally, Carlson Linda E and eight other scholars are influential scholars in this field. Finally, through keyword co-occurrence and co-citation analysis, we identified "breast cancer," "quality of life," and "psychological intervention" as the hot topics of current research. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides a valuable reference for scientific researchers to further explore meditation in cancer treatment. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: This study highlights the growing interest in meditation as an adjuvant therapy for cancer patients, underscoring its potential to improve survivors' quality of life. Current research primarily focuses on quality of life, mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy, and clinical trials. Additionally, online, virtual reality technology, cancer survivors, fear of cancer recurrence, and qualitative research may become cutting-edge research directions in the future.