Day I: Thursday, March 23, 2023; 1.30 PM Agenda: Physiotherapy in Geriatric and Cancer: AB No: 124 Effects of exercise on cancer-related fatigue: a meta-analysis

Purpose: Cancer fatigue being one of the side effects of Carcinoma and its treatment. It goes beyond the usual tiredness where the carcinoma patients describe as almost paralysed. It leads the patient to feel physically emotionally and mentally exhausted and ultimately harms the quality of life. Many researchers have concluded that physical activity including gentle exercises like yoga and taichi may help sleep better. Even though studies of cancer related fatigue have grown in recent years consistent assessment has not been a priority in routine practice. Based on the available studies this review focuses to explore the role of exercise therapy in alleviating the cancer related fatigue. Methods: Ten databases (Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, CBM, Wanfang, Pubmed, google scholar, Scopus and CNKI) were systematically reviewed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two reviewers critically and independently assessed the risk of bias using Cochrane Collaboration criteria and extracted correlated data using the designed form. Results: Ten RCTs, meeting the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis were identified. Exercise therapy had a marked effect on fatigue in cancer patients, regardless of concurrent anti-cancer treatment. The meta-analysis also indicated that exercise therapy could significantly mitigate CRF compared with usual care. Aerobic exercise for 20-30 min/session three times/week for two or three weeks, had substantial effects on CRF. Conclusion: Exercise therapy is effective for CRF management and should be recommended as a beneficial alternative therapies for CRF patients, particularly to those currently undergoing anti-cancer treatment. Implications: The most common barrier encountered by therapists in recommending and/or using exercise was related to the lack-of-exercise guidelines for patients with CRF. This type of studies will help to mitigate those barriers