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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Mar 5;18(5):2591.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18052591.

Six-Minute Walk Distance in Breast Cancer Survivors-A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Jasna But-Hadzic  1   2 , Mirza Dervisevic  3 , Damir Karpljuk  3 , Mateja Videmsek  3 , Edvin Dervisevic  3 , Armin Paravlic  3   4 , Vedran Hadzic  3 , Katja Tomazin  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Six-Minute Walk Distance in Breast Cancer Survivors-A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Jasna But-Hadzic et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is a widely used test for the indirect measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness in various cancer populations. Although the 6MWT is a simple test, there are no normative values for breast cancer survivors (BCS) or comparisons of results with healthy counterparts. A systematic review with a meta-analysis was carried out, which included studies from 2007 to 2020. Ninety-one studies were found, 21 of which were included in the quantitative synthesis. Among them were 9 randomized controlled trials (RCT), 8 prospective cohort studies and 4 cross-sectional studies. A total of 1084 BCS were included. Our results revealed that healthy subjects (n = 878) covered a significantly greater distance than BCS during the 6MWT (589.9 m vs. 477.4 m, p < 0.001), and the results of the meta-regression analysis showed that the 6MWD was predicted by the participants' BMI (p < 0.001), but not by their age (p = 0.070). After adjustment for BMI, the healthy subjects also covered greater distances than the BCS (103 m; p < 0.001). The normative values of 6MWT were presented for BCS. Besides, 6MWT distances distinguish between their healthy counterparts, therefore, the 6MWT distance is a relevant parameter for the assessment and monitoring of cardiorespiratory fitness in medical and exercise interventions for BCS.

Keywords: breast cancer; cardio-respiratory fitness; female; reference values; six minute walk test.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Funnel plot of the mean value vs. standard errors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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