Purpose: Exercise could lower the risk of cancer recurrence and improve mortality, exercise capacity, physical and cardiovascular function, strength, and quality of life in patients with cancer. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to determine the effects of exercise on mortality and recurrence in patients with cancer. Methods: We searched for articles published before May 2019 in MEDLINE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, ProQuest, and PEDro. We included RCTs of exercise interventions, such as resistance exercise and aerobic exercise, in patients with cancer that evaluated the risk of mortality and recurrence. The standardized mean difference with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated for quantitative indices. The random-effect model was used as the pooling method. Results: Of 2868 retrieved articles, 8 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis, with a mean PEDro score of 4.50 (SD = 1.25). Exercise significantly reduced the risk of mortality in patients with cancer and in cancer survivors (risk ratio [RR] = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.40-0.93, I2 = 0%, P = .009). Exercise significantly reduced the risk of recurrence in cancer survivors (RR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.29-0.92, I2 = 25%, P = .030). Conclusion: This study found that exercise has a favorable effect on mortality and recurrence in patients with cancer. However, the effect could not be fully determined due to data insufficiency.

Purpose We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effects of the following physical-agent modalities for pain relief in fibromyalgia (FM) patients. Methods We identified randomized controlled studies of adults with FM in the MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PEDro databases. The primary outcome measure was pain relief measured by a visual analogue scale (VAS), and the secondary outcome measures of interest were subjective improvements in the number of tender points, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), and quality of life (QOL) scores. Results Eleven studies were included in our review. The studies' physical-agent modalities were low-level laser therapy (LLLT), thermal therapy, electromagnetic field therapy, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). LLLT did not reduce VAS scores, but it significantly reduced both the number of tender points and FIQ score. Thermal therapy was associated with significantly reduced VAS scores, tender points, and FIQ scores. Electromagnetic field therapy was associated with significantly reduced VAS score and FIQ score. TENS significantly reduced VAS scores. Conclusion Our analyses revealed that thermal therapy and LLLT had a partial effect on pain relief in FM patients, and this beneficial effect may have a positive influence on FM patients' health status.

This study examined the effects of immobilization and low-intensity isotonic muscle contraction exercise on swelling and pain threshold during the early stages of arthritis in rats.Twenty-one male Wistar rats (8 weeks old) were randomly divided into 4 groups : (1) arthritis group (n=5); (2) arthritis and immobilization group (immobilization group, n=5); (3) arthritis and exercise group (exercise group, n=6); and (4) sham arthritis control group (control group, n=5). Arthritis was induced by injecting a mixture of 3% kaolin and 3% carrageenan into the right knee joint. Plaster casts were used to immobilize the right knee joint of rats in the immobilization group. Low-intensity isotonic muscle contraction of the quadriceps was initiated the day after injection and induced by electric stimulation (frequency, 50 Hz ; intensity, 2 -3 mA) for 20 min/day, 6 days/week, over 4 weeks. Joint swelling was determined by measuring the width of the knee joint. The pressure withdrawal threshold (PWT) was measured in the area of the lateral knee joint using a strain gauge algometer. Mechanical hypersensitivity in the hind paw was evaluated using von Frey filaments.Joint swelling was significantly increased for 2 weeks after injection in the arthritis and exercise groups compared with that in the control group. In the immobilization group, joint swelling remained significantly increased for 4 weeks compared with that in the control group. The PWT was decreased from the first day after injection in the arthritis, immobilization, and exercise groups. In the exercise group, the PWT was significantly increased at 1 week