Effects of exercise on life satisfaction of people diagnosed with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: A cancer diagnosis is commonly associated with a decline in patient's life satisfaction and more pessimistic expectations about the future. The identification of strategies to improve life satisfaction in patients with cancer is of great interest to health practitioners since it may be associated with a better prognosis of cancer and higher survival rates. Previous meta-analyses and reviews concluded that exercise could significantly improve health-related quality of life in this population, but the effects of exercise on life satisfaction are still not well-known. This review aims to analyse the effects of exercise programs on life satisfaction in people with cancer and individuals who have overcome cancer. METHODS: The present systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A thorough search of databases including Web of Science and PubMed/MEDLINE was carried out. Six studies (535 participants) in which the effect of an exercise program was compared to a non-exercise program control condition in patients with cancer were considered eligible. A subsequent meta-analysis was performed using the random effects model to calculate the standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Exercise intervention improved satisfaction with life compared with a control condition (SMD = 1.28; p = 0.02 with a 95% CI of 0.22 to 2.34). CONCLUSION: Exercise could be considered an effective tool to improve life satisfaction in patients with cancer. Hence, professionals might consider the possibility of integrating physical exercise into strategies aimed at enhancing the low life satisfaction often experienced by patients. PROSPERO: CRD42023438146.

An online home-based exercise program improves autonomic dysfunction in breast cancer survivors.

Introduction: Exercise interventions for breast cancer survivors have proved their potential to improve clinical, physical, and psychosocial outcomes. However, limited studies have explored exercise effects on autonomic dysfunction and the measurement of exercise tolerance and progression through daily heart rate variability (HRV). Purpose: To analyze the effects of a 16-wk exercise intervention on the autonomic modulation of breast cancer survivors, as well as to examine the evolution of daily measured HRV and its interaction with exercise sessions in this population. Methods: A total of 29 patients who had undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy were randomly assigned to the exercise group or to the control group. The exercise intervention was delivered remotely through online meetings and consisted of supervised training resistance and cardiovascular exercise 3 times per week. During the intervention all patients measured their HRV daily obtaining the napierian logarithm of the root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats (lnrMSSD) and the napierian logarithm of the standard deviation of the interbeat interval of normal sinus beats (lnSDNN) values at four moments: day 0 (the morning of the training sessions), 24, 48, and 72 h after exercise. Results: The results revealed a significant interaction between group and months during the intervention period for lnrMSSD and lnSDNN (p < 0.001). Additionally, there were significant differences in lnSDNN recovery time between months (p < 0.05), while differences in lnrMSSD become apparent only 24 h after exercise (p = 0.019). The control group experienced a significant decrease in both variables monthly (p < 0.05) while exercise group experienced a significant increment (p < 0.05). Conclusion: HRV is daily affected by exercise training sessions in cancer patients. Although results strongly support the role of exercise as a post-chemotherapy and radiotherapy rehabilitation strategy for breast cancer survivors to improve autonomic imbalance, further research is necessary to validate these initial findings.

Exploring autonomic modulation: day-to-day recovery after exercise sessions in breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: The current study aimed to analyze the changes in heart rate variability (HRV) 24h, 48h and 72h after exercise sessions in breast cancer survivors. Methods: Sixteen survivors who had undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy were included. Participants trained resistance and cardiovascular components 3 times per week. The intervention was supervised and delivered online for 4 weeks. In this period, patients measured their HRV daily obtaining the lnrMSSD and lnSDNN values of: day 0 (the morning of the training sessions), 24h, 48h and 72h after exercise. Results: Significant changes in lnrMSSD (p=0.015) and lnSDNN (p=0.031) during recovery times and lnSDNN during the weeks were found (p=0.015). The most prominent differences were identified between the baseline measurement taken on day 0 and 24h after exercise (p=0.007 and p=0.048, respectively) and between measurements obtained 24h and 48h after the training session (p=0.019 and p=0.026, respectively). Conclusion: Our study suggests that patients may decrease their lnrMSSD and lnSDNN values 24h after exercise and they were close to recover 48h after the sessions. In this regard, HRV may be an useful tool to monitor their recovery and exercise tolerance.

Effects of exercise on immune cells with tumor-specific activity in breast cancer patients and survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Exercise is effective for improving the physical and psychological health of breast cancer patients. However, there is still controversy around its role on the immune system. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis is aimed to evaluate the effect of chronic exercise on the number and activity of the immune cells that can contribute to anti-tumor immune responses, such as natural killers (NK) cells, CD + 4, or CD + 8. The main hypothesis of this study was that exercise could improve the immune system or, at least, there will not be a reduction in the number or activity of immune cells because of exercise. The search was conducted in the PubMed and Web of Science databases. Out of 244 studies reviewed, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies included in the meta-analyses showed mixed results and no significant (p > 0.05) positive or negative effects of exercise interventions in women with breast cancer. Therefore, the current evidence indicates that exercise does not significantly improve or reduce the immune system; thus, the prescription of exercise must not be discouraged due to the effects on the number and activity of immune system cells, but should be recommended due to the well-known benefits in quality of life, physical function or fatigue, and the absence of negative effects on the immune system. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effects according to the type of exercise, the type of cancer, or the timing of the intervention.

High-intensity exercise prescription guided by heart rate variability in breast cancer patients: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a chronic disease with a large growth in its treatments, prognosis, improvements, side effects and rehabilitation therapies research. These advances have also highlighted the need to use physical exercise as a countermeasure to reduce the cardiotoxicity of pharmacological treatments, increase patients' strength and quality of life and improve body composition, physical condition and mental health. However, new investigations show the need for a closed exercise individualisation to produce higher physiological, physical and psychological benefits in remote exercise programs. To this end, the present study will use, in a novel way in this population, heart rate variability (HRV) as a measure for prescribing high-intensity training. Thus, the primary objective of this randomised clinical trial is to analyse the effects of a high-intensity exercise program daily guided by HRV, a preplanned moderate to high-intensity exercise intervention and a usual care group, in breast cancer patients after chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments. METHODS: For this purpose, a 16-week intervention will be carried out with 90 breast cancer patients distributed in 3 groups (a control group, a moderate to high-intensity preplanned exercise group and a high-intensity exercise group guided by HRV). Both physical exercise interventions will be developed remotely and supervised including strength and cardiovascular exercises. Physiological variables, such as cardiotoxicity, biomarkers, lipid profile, glucose, heart rate and blood pressure; physical measures like cardiorespiratory capacity, strength, flexibility, agility, balance and body composition; and psychosocial variables, as health-related quality of life, fatigue, functionality, self-esteem, movement fear, physical exercise level, anxiety and depression will be measure before, after the intervention and 3 and 6 months follow up. DISCUSSION: Personalized high-intensity exercise could be a promising exercise intervention in contrast to moderate-intensity or usual care in breast cancer patients to reach higher clinical, physical and mental effects. In addition, the novelty of controlling HRV measures daily may reflect exercise effects and patients' adaptation in the preplanned exercise group and a new opportunity to adjust intensity. Moreover, findings may support the effectiveness and security of physical exercise remotely supervised, although with high-intensity exercise, to reach cardiotoxicity improvements and increase physical and psychosocial variables after breast cancer treatments. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov nº NCT05040867 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT05040867 ).

The Role of Self-Efficacy and Activity Patterns in the Physical Activity Levels of Women with Fibromyalgia.

Keeping high levels of physical activity is a challenge among chronic patients. In this regard, self-efficacy has been identified as a crucial variable to reduce sedentarism and physical inactivity in women with fibromyalgia. The current study aimed to evaluate the associations among objective physical activity levels, self-efficacy, activity patterns, and the impact of the disease, as well as to compare those variables between women with fibromyalgia with different self-efficacy levels. For this purpose, in this cross-sectional study, the physical activity levels of 123 women with fibromyalgia were assessed by accelerometers, together with self-efficacy, the impact of the disease, and activity patterns. Results revealed that self-efficacy for light or moderate physical activity was directly related to light (p < 0.01), moderate (p < 0.01), and vigorous physical activity (p < 0.05), as well as inversely related to sedentary time (p < 0.01). Moreover, the main differences were observed between those with low self-efficacy levels and the rest of the sample, while there were no differences between the high and the medium self-efficacy groups (p > 0.05). Thus, self-efficacy for walking and light physical activity seems to be more relevant than self-efficacy for moderate and vigorous physical activity to achieve higher levels of physical activity.

Can Exercise Reduce the Autonomic Dysfunction of Patients With Cancer and Its Survivors? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Cancer therapies have increased patient survival rates, but side effects such as cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity can lead to autonomic nervous and cardiovascular system dysfunction. This would result in a decrease in parasympathetic activity and the enhancement of sympathetic activity. Heart rate variability (HRV), which reflects autonomic modulation, is a valuable physiological tool since it correlates with cancer-related fatigue, stress, depression, and mortality in patients with cancer. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effects of exercise programs on the autonomic modulation, measured by the HRV of patients with cancer and its survivors. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, and the quality of the articles was assessed with the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. The meta-analysis statistic procedure was performed by using RevMan software version 5.3. Results: From the 252 articles found, six studies were included in the review involving 272 participants aged 30-75 years. Exercise programs had a mean length of 10.4 ± 4.6 weeks, a frequency of 3 ± 1.4 days/week, and a mean duration of 78 ± 23.9 min. In time-domain HRV measures, exercise may increase in the SD of normal-to-normal intervals [p < 0.00001, with a mean difference (MD) of 12.79 ms from 9.03 to 16.55] and a decreased root mean square of successive R-R interval differences (p = 0.002, with an MD of 13.08 ms from 4.90 to 21.27) in comparison with control groups (CG). The frequency-domain data reveal that the exercise group (EG) improve significantly more than the CGs in low frequency [absolute power: p < 0.0001, with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.97 from 0.61 to 1.34; relative power: p = 0.04, with an MD = -7.70 from -15.4 to -0.36], high-frequency [absolute power: p = 0.001, with a SMD of 1.49 from 0.32 to 2.66; relative power: p = 0.04, with an MD of 8.00 normalized units (n.u.) from 0.20 to 15.80], and low-to-high frequency ratio (p = 0.007 with an MD of -0.32 from -0.55 to -0.09). Conclusion: Exercise programs could lead to positive effects on the autonomic modulation of patients with cancer and its survivors. More beneficial changes may occur with resistance and endurance workouts. However, due to the low number of interventions performed, further research is needed to substantiate the findings and to provide additional insights regarding the exercise intensity required to increase the autonomic modulation of the patient.

Effects of high-intensity training on the quality of life of cancer patients and survivors: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Cancer and associated medical treatments affect patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) by decreasing functional dimensions of physical, social, cognitive, and emotional well-being, while increasing short and late-term symptoms. Exercise, however, is demonstrated to be a useful therapy to improve cancer patients' and survivors' HRQoL, yet the effectiveness of high-intensity training (HIT) exercise is uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to analyse the effects of HIT on HRQoL dimensions in cancer patients and survivors as well as evaluate the optimal prescription of HIT. The search followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA) and examined Web of Science and PubMed (Medline) databases. Data were analysed utilizing Review Manager Software. Twenty-two articles were included in the systematic review and 17 in the meta-analysis. Results showed HIT improved global quality of life, physical functioning, role functioning, social functioning, cognitive functioning, fatigue, pain, dyspnea, and insomnia, compared to an inactive control group, yet no differences were found between HIT and low to moderate-intensity exercise interventions. Particular improvements in HRQoL were observed during cancer treatment and with a training duration of more than eight weeks, a frequency of 2 days/week, and a volume of at least 120 min/week, including 15 min or more of HIT. Our findings whilst encouraging, highlight the infancy of the extant evidence base for the role of HIT in the HRQoL of cancer patients and survivors.

Key Factors Associated with Adherence to Physical Exercise in Patients with Chronic Diseases and Older Adults: An Umbrella Review.

Physical inactivity is a major concern and poor adherence to exercise programs is often reported. The aim of this paper was to systematically review published reviews on the study of adherence to physical exercise in chronic patients and older adults and to identify those adherence-related key factors more frequently suggested by reviews for that population. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Results were classified considering the target population and participants' characteristics to identify the most repeated factors obtained for each condition. Fifty-five articles were finally included. Fourteen key factors were identified as relevant to increase adherence to physical exercise by at least ten reviews: (a) characteristics of the exercise program, (b) involvement of professionals from different disciplines, (c) supervision, (d) technology, (e) initial exploration of participant's characteristics, barriers, and facilitators, (f) participants education, adequate expectations and knowledge about risks and benefits, (g) enjoyment and absence of unpleasant experiences, (h) integration in daily living, (i) social support and relatedness, (j) communication and feedback, (k) available progress information and monitoring, (l) self-efficacy and competence, (m) participant's active role and (n) goal setting. Therefore, adherence to physical exercise is affected by several variables that can be controlled and modified by researchers and professionals.

High-intensity exercise to improve cardiorespiratory fitness in cancer patients and survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Improving cardiorespiratory fitness (CRFit) in cancer patients is crucial to increase survivorship, promote health, and improve quality of life. High-intensity training (HIT) has the potential to increase CRFit, perhaps better than other exercise modalities, but the extant evidence has yet to be fully explored. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of HIT on CRFit in cancer patients and survivors and to identify the optimal characteristics of the interventions (eg, cancer type, intervention timing, exercise modality, intervention's duration, and the number of minutes of high-intensity exercise in each session). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. A total of 31 articles (2515 participants) were included in the systematic review and 25 in the meta-analyses. CRFit significantly improved with HIT in comparison with a control group (P < .00001, SMD = 0.44 and a 95% confidence interval from 0.25 to 0.64). The results obtained in the sub-analysis were statistically significant except the comparison with the active group CRFit (P = .13). The results showed that higher effects could be achieved in: patients starting to exercise before treatment, interventions longer than eight weeks, programs including exclusively cardiovascular training and with a high-intensity part of session duration of at least 20 minutes.