Feasibility metrics of exercise interventions during chemotherapy: A systematic review

Exercise has been shown to play an important role in managing chemotherapy-related side effects, preserving skeletal muscle mass, and attenuating decline in cardiorespiratory fitness associated with chemotherapy treatment, however, the feasibility of how these exercise programs are being delivered has yet to be synthesized. The objective of this review was to measure the rates of recruitment, adherence, and retention to exercise programs delivered for cancer patients during chemotherapy.

Relevant studies were identified through a search of MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE and CINAHL databases from January 2002 to July 2022 using keywords relating to exercise interventions during chemotherapy. Title and abstract screening, full text review, data extraction, and quality assessment were all performed independently by two reviewers.

A total of 36 studies were included in the review. The mean recruitment rate for the included studies was 62.39% (SD = 19.40; range 25.7-95%). Travel was the most common reason for declining recruitment in these trials. Adherence rates ranged from 17-109%, however the definition of adherence varied greatly between studies. Mean retention rates for the exercise groups was 84.1% (SD = 12.7; range 50-100%), with chemotherapy side effects being the most common reason why participants dropped out of these trials.

Multiple challenges exist for cancer patients during chemotherapy and careful consideration needs to be given when designing an exercise program for this population. Future research should include public and patient involvement to ensure exercise programs are pragmatic and patient centred.