Comparative efficacy of exercise interventions for managing cancer-related symptoms and enhancing quality of life: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized trials
PubMed 41240813 · doi:10.1016/j.ejon.2025.103022
What was done
A systematic review and network meta-analysis was conducted across PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, and PsycInfo from inception through August 16, 2024, alongside clinical trial registries. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were performed independently by two researchers. The comparative efficacy of different exercise modalities for cancer-related symptoms and quality of life among cancer survivors was analyzed using STATA version 16.0.
What was found
The review analyzed 277 trials with 21,018 participants. Based on surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) values, the highest-ranking interventions were: - Fatigue: Aerobic exercise (75.6%) - Quality of life: Resistance exercise (84.5%) - Pain: Resistance exercise (77.2%) - Anxiety: Mind-body exercise (89.6%) - Depression: Multi-component exercise (93.3%) Effect sizes, confidence intervals, and pairwise difference statistics were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that exercise prescriptions for cancer survivors can be tailored to specific symptom targets, such as resistance exercise for pain and quality of life or mind-body routines for anxiety, rather than relying on uniform exercise recommendations.
Limits
The abstract provides SUCRA ranking percentages but omits absolute effect sizes, confidence intervals, heterogeneity estimates, and network consistency checks. Data on cancer types, stages, exercise duration, and treatment status were not detailed in the abstract. SUCRA rankings may exaggerate differences between modalities that have clinically similar effects.
Cited by
- supports Exercise improves sleep quality and reduces anxiety and depression in cancer patients undergoing treatment.