The Effect of Exercise on Quality of Life, Fatigue, Physical Function, and Safety in Advanced Solid Tumor Cancers: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Control Trials

• Published in: Journal of pain and symptom management 2019-11, Vol.58 (5), p.899-908.e7
• Main Authors: Nadler, Michelle B., Desnoyers, Alexandra, Langelier, David M., Amir, Eitan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: advanced cancer; Aerobic exercise; cancer-related fatigue; Clinical trials; Efficacy; Evidence-based medicine; Exercise; Falls; Fatigue; Fractures; Meta-analysis; Metastasis; Metastatic cancer; Pain; Patient safety; Physical ability; physical activity; physical function; Quality of life; Resistance; Safety; Statistical significance; Strength training; Tumors
• ISSN: 0885-3924; 1873-6513
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.07.005

People with metastatic cancers experience poor quality of life (QoL), fatigue, and decreased physical function. Exercise improves these symptoms in the curative setting, but the efficacy and safety of exercise in the metastatic setting is uncertain. Prospective, randomized trials of moderate/high-intensity aerobic exercise or resistance training vs. control in patients with advanced/metastatic solid cancers were identified from prior reviews and updated using a search of PubMed. The mean and SD for validated outcome measures (QoL, physical function, and fatigue) were extracted for intervention and control groups at baseline and postintervention. The Mann-Whitney test was used to evaluate the effect of exercise on the pooled change between baseline and postintervention. Safety was evaluated qualitatively. Sixteen trials were analyzed. Among patients with scores at the mean or 2SD above, exercise was not associated with significant or clinical difference in QoL or fatigue. In patients with baseline scores 2SD below mean, exercise was associated with nonsignificant difference meeting minimal clinical important difference in QoL (−2.8 vs. 4.6, P = 0.28). For function, patients at the mean had nonstatistically significant, but clinically meaningful difference in the six-minute walk test (6-MWT) (14.7 vs. 29.0 m, P = 0.44). In patients 2 SD below the mean, there was a clinically meaningful difference in two patient-reported functional subscales (0.1 vs. 5.3, P = 0.076 and 0.44 vs. 8.5, P = 0.465) and a clinically meaningful improvement in the 6-MWT (−7.5 vs. 27.0 m, P = 0.34), although none of these associations met statistical significance. There were no differences in falls, fractures, or pain. Exercise is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in QoL, function, and 6-MWT in some patients with metastatic cancer. Despite poor reporting of safety, there was no signal of increased harm from exercise in this setting.