Physical activity reduces fatigue in patients with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials

Sapna Oberoi; Paula D Robinson; Danielle Cataudella; S Nicole Culos-Reed; Hailey Davis; Nathan Duong; Faith Gibson; Miriam Götte; Pamela Hinds; Sanne L Nijhof; Deborah Tomlinson; Patrick van der Torre; Sandra Cabral; L Lee Dupuis; Lillian Sung

doi:10.1016/j.critrevonc.2017.12.011

Physical activity reduces fatigue in patients with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials

Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2018 Feb:122:52-59. doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2017.12.011. Epub 2017 Dec 16.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Department of Pediatric Psychology, Children's Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON, Canada.
³ Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁴ Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁵ Centre for Outcomes and Experiences Research in Children's Health, Illness, and Disability, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, School of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
⁶ University Hospital Essen, Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Essen, Germany.
⁷ Department of Nursing Science, Professional Practice, and Quality, Children's National Health System, WA, District of Columbia, USA; Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University, WA, District of Columbia, USA.
⁸ Division of Pediatrics, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital (part of UMC Utrecht), Utrecht, Netherlands.
⁹ Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Pharmacy, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
¹⁰ Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: lillian.sung@sickkids.ca.

PMID: 29458789
DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2017.12.011

Abstract

Purpose: Objective was to determine whether physical activity reduces the severity of fatigue in patients with cancer or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients.

Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized trials comparing physical activity with control interventions for the management of fatigue in patients with cancer or HSCT recipients.

Results: There were 170 trials included. Physical activity reduced the severity of fatigue when compared to all control groups (standardized mean difference -0.49, 95% confidence interval -0.60 to -0.37; P < 0.00001). Aerobic, neuromotor, resistance and combination exercises were all effective in reducing fatigue although smaller effects were observed with resistance exercises (P interaction = 0.01). Other intervention and patient characteristics did not influence the effect of physical activity on the severity of fatigue.

Conclusions: Physical activity was effective at reducing fatigue in patients with cancer and HSCT recipients across patient sub-groups. Determining the best approaches for safe implementation should be a priority.

Keywords: Cancer; Exercise; Fatigue; Meta-analysis; Physical activity; Randomized trial.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Exercise / physiology*
Exercise Therapy / methods*
Fatigue / etiology
Fatigue / therapy*
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / adverse effects
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / methods*
Humans
Neoplasms / physiopathology
Neoplasms / therapy*
Quality of Life
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic