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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Sep;29(9):4921-4929.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-021-06135-7. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

Community-based exercise programs and cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Chad W Wagoner  1 , Jordan T Lee  2 , Claudio L Battaglini  2   3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Community-based exercise programs and cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Chad W Wagoner et al. Support Care Cancer. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the prevalence of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) within community-based exercise programs and to determine the overall impact that participation in community-based exercise programs have on CRF.

Methods: Literature searches were performed in March and updated in April of 2020. Studies that were community-based in adult cancer populations and reported CRF outcomes were included. Mean and standard deviations for CRF from 12 studies were extracted in order to compute a pooled effect size via a random effects model. An overall percentage was computed to discern how many community-based exercise programs reported CRF.

Results: Sample sizes varied among studies with most patients being middle-aged with breast cancer in the post-treatment setting. Most programs implemented aerobic + resistance exercise training interventions (~77%). Only ~42% of programs identified in the review reported CRF outcomes. The random effects model produced a pooled effect size of 0.30 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Fewer than half of the identified community-based exercise programs reported CRF outcomes (~42%). Of those that did, the random effects model revealed a small yet significant impact on improving CRF after exercise participation, though more research is certainly needed in this area. This review produced promising preliminary evidence for the impact of community-based exercise programs on CRF. As exercise interventions transition to community-based facilities, patients should feel confident that these programs will continue to assist in managing CRF that is commonly experienced across the cancer continuum.

Keywords: Cancer-related fatigue; Community-based exercise; Exercise; Oncology; Physical activity.

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