Impact of physical exercise programs in breast cancer survivors on health-related quality of life, physical fitness, and body composition: Evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Abstract

BackgroundBreast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, and despite remarkable progress in its treatment, the survivors’ quality of life is hampered by treatment-related side effects that impair psychosocial and physiological outcomes. Several studies have established the benefits of physical exercise in breast cancer survivors in recent years. Physical exercise reduces the impact of treatment-related adverse events to promote a better quality of life and functional outcomes.AimThis study aims to provide an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the effect of physical exercise on the health-related quality of life, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, and body composition of breast cancer survivors.MethodsPubMed and Cochrane databases were searched for systematic reviews and meta-analyses from January 2010 to October 2022. The main focus was ascertaining the effectiveness of physical exercise in breast cancer survivors undergoing curative treatment (surgery and/or radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy). Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias in the included studies.ResultsA total of 101 studies were identified, and 12 were yielded for final analysis. The eligible studies included nine systematic reviews/meta-analyses, one meta-analysis/meta-regression, and two systematic reviews. The number of randomised clinical trials included in each review varied from 11 to 63, and the number of participants was from 214 to 5761. A positive and significant effect of different physical exercise interventions on health-related quality of life was reported in 83.3% (10 studies) of the eligible studies. Physical exercise also improved cardiorespiratory fitness (3 studies; 25%) and showed to be effective in reducing body weight (3 studies; 25%) and waist circumference (4 studies; 33.3%).ConclusionsOur results suggest that physical exercise is an effective strategy that positively affects breast cancer survivors’ quality of life, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition. Healthcare professionals should foster the adoption of physical exercise interventions to achieve better health outcomes following breast cancer treatments.Systematic review registrationhttps://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-11-0053/, identifier INPLASY2022110053.

Effects of a peer‐led physical activity program on psychosocial outcomes among breast cancer survivors

“…A review of non‐pharmacological interventions to improve QOL in cancer survivors concluded that PA improves QOL, but few studies assessed outcomes beyond 3 months 35 . The authors also reported that aerobic plus resistance training provided maximum improvements in QOL (also supported by another review 36 ); whereas our interventions focused on aerobic PA. Generally, longer duration programs and those offered with on‐site supervision have larger, positive impact on QOL 36 while our programs were distance‐based and did not provide on‐site supervision.…”

“…Generally, longer duration programs and those offered with on-site supervision have larger, positive impact on QOL 36 while our programs were distance-based and did not provide on-site supervision.…”

Long-Term Outcomes of Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Levobupivacaine Wound Infiltration or Diclofenac for Postoperative Pain Relief

“…In addition to the patient’s age, comorbidities, and perioperative procedures, the survival of patients with breast cancer is influenced by socioeconomic factors, such as the level of education and the availability of health care [ 25 ]. Better physical condition and exercise can contribute to a better quality of life in patients after breast cancer surgery [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. We, therefore, expected that patients who had better HGS, as well as those in the group with bolus administration of levobupivacaine, could have better long-term survival.…”

Outcomes of physical exercises on initiation, progression, and treatment of breast cancer

“…The study findings revealed that resistance training positively affected the strength of the upper and lower body in the specific population under investigation [ 99 ]. The findings from two meta-analyses suggest that participation in physical activity can positively impact HRQoL, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition in individuals who have successfully recovered from breast cancer [ 100 , 101 ].…”