Community-based exercise programs and cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose To explore the prevalence of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) within community-based exercise programs and to determine the overall impact that participation in community-based exercise programs have on CRF. Methods Literature searches were performed in March and updated in April of 2020. Studies that were community-based in adult cancer populations and reported CRF outcomes were included. Mean and standard deviations for CRF from 12 studies were extracted in order to compute a pooled effect size via a random effects model. An overall percentage was computed to discern how many community-based exercise programs reported CRF. Results Sample sizes varied among studies with most patients being middle-aged with breast cancer in the post-treatment setting. Most programs implemented aerobic + resistance exercise training interventions (similar to 77%). Only similar to 42% of programs identified in the review reported CRF outcomes. The random effects model produced a pooled effect size of 0.30 (p < 0.001). Conclusions Fewer than half of the identified community-based exercise programs reported CRF outcomes (similar to 42%). Of those that did, the random effects model revealed a small yet significant impact on improving CRF after exercise participation, though more research is certainly needed in this area. This review produced promising preliminary evidence for the impact of community-based exercise programs on CRF. As exercise interventions transition to community-based facilities, patients should feel confident that these programs will continue to assist in managing CRF that is commonly experienced across the cancer continuum.

Automated summary

The study aimed to explore the prevalence of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) within community-based exercise programs and the overall impact of participation in these programs on CRF. The results showed that less than half of the identified programs reported CRF outcomes, with a small yet significant impact on improving CRF after exercise participation. More research is needed in this area.