Purpose: To determine the impact of exercise on functional capacity, measured through the "Six minutes walking test" (6MWT) in patients with advanced cancer stage. Methods: Systematic research on PubMed, Cochrane Library, and SportDiscus was conducted. Randomized controlled trials were eligible if they examined the effect of exercise on 6MWT. Results: Overall, a total of ten trials were included in the primary analysis. Compared to the controls, the exercise intervention was associated with an increase in functional capacity (+20.86 m; CI: -5.90 to 47.72, p = 0.12) although not reaching the statistical significance. Sensitivity analysis revealed an improvement for studies proposing a supervised exercise intervention towards the statistical significance. Few adverse events were associated with exercise training, and the median withdrawals rate was 17%. Conclusions: Exercise may have a beneficial role on functional capacity in patients with advanced cancer, especially if supervised.

Effect of exercise on functional capacity in patients with advanced cancer: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Avancini, Alice;Borsati, Anita;Belluomini, Lorenzo;Insolda, Jessica;Trestini, Ilaria;Tregnago, Daniela;Schena, Federico;Bria, Emilio;Milella, Michele;Pilotto, Sara
2022-01-01

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the impact of exercise on functional capacity, measured through the "Six minutes walking test" (6MWT) in patients with advanced cancer stage. Methods: Systematic research on PubMed, Cochrane Library, and SportDiscus was conducted. Randomized controlled trials were eligible if they examined the effect of exercise on 6MWT. Results: Overall, a total of ten trials were included in the primary analysis. Compared to the controls, the exercise intervention was associated with an increase in functional capacity (+20.86 m; CI: -5.90 to 47.72, p = 0.12) although not reaching the statistical significance. Sensitivity analysis revealed an improvement for studies proposing a supervised exercise intervention towards the statistical significance. Few adverse events were associated with exercise training, and the median withdrawals rate was 17%. Conclusions: Exercise may have a beneficial role on functional capacity in patients with advanced cancer, especially if supervised.
2022
Advanced cancer
Exercise
Functional capacity
Physical intervention
Six minutes, walking test
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/1068408
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