Open AccessExercise Medicine in the Management of Pancreatic Cancer
Author(s) -
Hao Luo,
Daniel A. Galvão,
Robert U. Newton,
Pedro López,
Colin Tang,
Ciaran M. Fairman,
Nigel Spry,
Dennis R. Taaffe
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
pancreas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1536-4828
pISSN - 0885-3177
DOI - 10.1097/mpa.0000000000001753
Subject(s) - panca , medicine , cinahl , physical therapy , quality of life (healthcare) , psycinfo , aerobic exercise , medline , cochrane library , randomized controlled trial , psychological intervention , nursing , disease , vasculitis , political science , law , anti neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody
The aim of this study was to examine the health-related effects of exercise in patients with pancreatic cancer (PanCa) through a systematic review of current evidence. Studies were obtained through searching PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL Plus, and Cochrane Library databases with additional hand searches. All intervention-based studies were included if it involved (1) adult patients with PanCa, (2) exercise training, and (3) findings in quality of life, cancer-related fatigue, psychological distress, and physical function. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO: CRD42020154684. Seven trials described in 9 publications were included consisting of 201 patients with early-stage and advanced PanCa. Participants were required to perform supervised and/or home-based, low- to moderate-intensity resistance and/or aerobic exercise for 12 to 35 weeks or duration of neoadjuvant therapy. There were no exercise-related adverse events with a reported retention rate of 71% to 90% and exercise attendance of 64% to 96%. The programs were consistently associated with improvements in cancer-related fatigue, psychological distress, and physical function, with mixed effects on quality of life. Exercise training seems to be safe and feasible and may have a beneficial effect on various physical and psychological outcomes in patients with PanCa. Further work with rigorous study designs is required to consolidate and advance current findings.