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Physical Exercise in Cancer Patients During and After Medical Treatment: A Systematic Review of Randomized and Controlled Clinical Trials

From the Department of Rheumatology and Institute of Physical Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Division of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam; Department of Rheumatology, University Medical Center, Nijmegen; University of Professional Education, Department of Health, Faculty Chair of Health and Lifestyle and Department of Physical Therapy, Utrecht, the Netherlands

Address reprint requests to Ruud Knols, MSc, PT, Department of Rheumatology and Institute of Physical Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Gloriastrasse 25, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland; e-mail: ruud.knols{at}usz.ch

PURPOSE: To systematically review the methodologic quality of, and summarize the evidence from trials examining the effectiveness of physical exercise in improving the level of physical functioning and psychological well-being of cancer patients during and after medical treatment.

METHODS: Thirty-four randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials were identified, reviewed for substantive results, and assessed for methodologic quality.

RESULTS: Four of 34 trials met all (seven of seven) methodologic criteria on the Delphi criteria list. Failure to conceal the sequencing of treatment allocation before patient recruitment, failure to blind the outcome assessor, and failure to employ an intention-to-treat analysis strategy were the most prevalent methodologic shortcomings. Various exercise modalities have been applied, differing in content, frequency, intensity, and duration. Positive results have been observed for a diverse set of outcomes, including physiologic measures, objective performance indicators, self-reported functioning and symptoms, psychological well-being, and overall health-related quality of life.

CONCLUSION: The trials reviewed were of moderate methodologic quality. Together they suggest that cancer patients may benefit from physical exercise both during and after treatment. However, the specific beneficial effects of physical exercise may vary as a function of the stage of disease, the nature of the medical treatment, and the current lifestyle of the patient. Future RCTs should use larger samples, use appropriate comparison groups to rule out the possibility of an attention-placebo effect, use a comparable set of outcome measures, pay greater attention to issues of motivation and adherence of patients participating in exercise programs, and examine the effect of exercise on cancer survival.

Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.

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