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. 2015 Sep;23(9):2623-31.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-015-2622-z. Epub 2015 Feb 14.

Moderators of the effects of group-based physical exercise on cancer survivors' quality of life

Joeri Kalter  1 , Laurien M Buffart, Irene Korstjens, Ellen van Weert, Johannes Brug, Irma M Verdonck-de Leeuw, Ilse Mesters, Bart van den Borne, Josette E H M Hoekstra-Weebers, Wynand J G Ros, Anne M May
Affiliations

Moderators of the effects of group-based physical exercise on cancer survivors' quality of life

Joeri Kalter et al. Support Care Cancer. 2015 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: This study explored demographic, clinical, and psychological moderators of the effect of a group-based physical exercise intervention on global quality of life (QoL) among cancer survivors who completed treatment.

Methods: Cancer survivors were assigned to a 12-week physical exercise (n = 147) or a wait-list control group (n = 62). The main outcome measure was global QoL, assessed with the EORTC QLQ-C30 at baseline and 12 weeks later. Potential moderators were age, gender, education level, marital status, employment status, type of treatment, time since treatment, the presence of comorbidities, fatigue, general self-efficacy, depression, and anxiety. Linear regression analyses were used to test effect modification of the intervention by each moderator variable using interaction tests (p ≤ 0.10).

Results: The physical exercise intervention effect on global QoL was larger for cancer survivors who received radiotherapy (β = 10.3, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 4.4; 16.2) than for cancer survivors who did not receive radiotherapy (β = 1.8, 95 % CI = -5.9; 9.5, p interaction = 0.10), larger for cancer survivors who received a combination of chemoradiotherapy (β = 13.0, 95 % CI = 6.0; 20.1) than for those who did not receive this combination of treatments (β = 2.5, 95 % CI = -3.7; 8.7, p interaction = 0.02), and larger for cancer survivors with higher baseline levels of fatigue (β = 12.6, 95 % CI = 5.7; 19.6) than for those with lower levels (β = 2.4, 95 % CI = -3.9; 8.7, p interaction = 0.03). No other moderating effects were found.

Conclusions: This study suggests that cancer treatment modality and baseline fatigue levels moderate the effect of a physical exercise program on cancer survivors'global QoL.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Differences in mean global quality of life (Global QoL) post-intervention between wait-list control group (WLC) and physical exercise group (PE) according to having received a combination of chemoradiotherapy (solid line) or one or none of these treatments (dotted line)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Differences in mean global quality of life (Global QoL) post-intervention between wait-list control group (WLC) and physical exercise group (PE) according to low general fatigue (one standard deviation (SD) below the mean of general fatigue; dotted line), mean general fatigue (dashed line), and high general fatigue (one SD above the mean of general fatigue; solid line)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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