Persoon, S., Kersten, M.J., van der Weiden, K., Buffart, L.M., Nollet, F., Brug, J., & Chinapaw, M.J. (2013). Effects of exercise in patients treated with stem cell transplantation for a hematologic malignancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cancer Treatment Reviews, 39, 682–690.
STUDY PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of exercise interventions compared with usual care on physical fitness, fatigue, and quality of life in patients treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)
TYPE OF STUDY: Meta-analysis and systematic review
PHASE OF CARE: Active antitumor treatment
Six studies showed a positive effect on cardiorespiratory fitness (effect size [ES] = 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.13, 0.94]) compared to usual care. Positive effects were seen in muscle strength. Five studies showed positive effects on quality of life (QOL) in global QOL (ES = 0.41, p = 0.0005), cognitive functioning (ES = 0.36, 95% CI [0.13, 0.59], p = 0.002) from the European Organization of Research on Treatment and Cancer (EORTC) self-report instrument. Compared to usual care, exercise had a moderate and significant positive effect on fatigue (ES = 0.53, 95% CI [0.27, 0.79], p < 0.0001).
Exercise interventions were shown to have a positive effect on cardiorespiratory fitness and fatigue, and might show some benefit in terms of several aspects of health-related quality of life for patients undergoing HSCT.
This review adds to the body of evidence showing the effectiveness of exercise interventions for fatigue among various types of patients with cancer. Exercise may also have an impact on various aspects of health-related quality of life; however, the evidence in this area is weak, and additional research is needed to determine efficacy in this area.