Exercise during chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy and treatment delivery and tumor response outcomes: a scoping review.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic scoping review of 23 clinical studies
PubMed 42032541 · doi:10.1186/s12885-026-15992-6
What was done
The authors conducted a scoping review across PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL through November 6, 2025, mapping literature on exercise interventions during chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy and their associations with treatment delivery (e.g., relative dose intensity, completion) and tumor response (e.g., pathological complete response, RECIST criteria, downstaging). Twenty-three studies evaluating 31 exercise interventions, predominantly in breast and colorectal cancer, were included.
What was found
The abstract reports no numeric values, effect sizes, or pooled statistics. Exercise programs typically involved supervised aerobic or combined aerobic and resistance exercise at moderate-to-high intensity (3–4 sessions per week). Although associations with favorable treatment-related outcomes were more frequently reported for supervised, moderate-to-high intensity exercise, null findings were common across all measured outcomes and cancer types, indicating an inconsistent overall association.
Why it matters
This review indicates that evidence supporting exercise to directly enhance chemotherapy delivery or tumor response remains inconsistent and context-dependent. It establishes the need for future trials to clearly separate treatment tolerance from direct oncologic tumor response outcomes.
Limits
The abstract reports no pooled quantitative data, confidence intervals, or total participant sample size across the 23 included studies. The evidence base is heterogeneous in intervention types and treatment phases (neoadjuvant to adjuvant) and heavily concentrated in breast and colorectal cancers.
Cited by
- context Studies show cancer patients who exercise during chemotherapy complete more of their chemotherapy with fewer dose reductions and delays.