Retrospective Study
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World J Clin Oncol. May 10, 2014; 5(2): 177-190
Published online May 10, 2014. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v5.i2.177
Twenty-five years of research on the effects of exercise training in breast cancer survivors: A systematic review of the literature
Claudio L Battaglini, Robert C Mills, Brett L Phillips, Jordan T Lee, Christina E Story, Marcelo GB Nascimento, Anthony Carl Hackney
Claudio L Battaglini, Robert C Mills, Brett L Phillips, Jordan T Lee, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Christina Story, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
Claudio L Battaglini, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
Claudio L Battaglini, Robert C Mills, Brett L Phillips, Jordan T Lee, Christina E Story, Anthony Carl Hackney, Exercise Oncology Research Laboratory, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
Anthony Carl Hackney, Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
Marcelo GB Nascimento, Centro Universitario de Brasilia (UniCeub), SEPN 707/907-Campus do UniCEUB-Asa Norte-Brasília-DF-70790-075, Brazil
Author contributions: Battaglini CL, Mills RC, Phillips BL, Lee JT, Story CE, Nascimento MGB and Hackney AC contributed to the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Claudio L Battaglini, PhD, Exercise Oncology Research Laboratory, University of North Carolina, 125 Fetzer Hall, CB 8700, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. claudio@email.unc.edu
Telephone: +1-919-8436045 Fax: +1-919-9620489
Received: January 2, 2014
Revised: January 29, 2014
Accepted: April 17, 2014
Published online: May 10, 2014
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the role of exercise training the past 25 years on major physiological-psychological outcomes studied thus far in this patient population.

METHODS: PubMed, MedlinePlus, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SportDiscus, Embase, Scorpus, and Google Scholar were searched from September to November 2013 to identify exercise training studies that used objective measurements of fitness and/or patient reported outcomes assessed pre and post-exercise training with statistical analyses performed in at least one of the following outcome measurements: Cardiorespiratory function, body composition, muscular strength, fatigue, depression, and overall quality of life. Five reviewers independently identified the studies that met the criteria for the review and discrepancies were resolved by consensus among all authors.

RESULTS: Fifty-one studies were included in this review with 5 from the period between 1989-1999, 11 from 2000-2006, and 35 from 2007-2013. The evolution of study designs changed from aerobic only exercise training interventions (1989-1999), to a combination of aerobic and resistance training (2000-2006), to studies including an arm of resistance training or examining the effects of resistance training as the main mode of exercise (2007-2013). Overall, the benefits of exercise showed improvements in cardiorespiratory function, body composition, strength, and patient reported outcomes including fatigue, depression, and quality of life.

CONCLUSION: Exercise training appears to be safe for most breast cancer patients and improvements in physiological, psychological, and functional parameters can be attained with regular participation in moderate intensity exercise.

Keywords: Breast cancer, Exercise training, Complementary Alternative Medicine, Oncology, VO2peak, Patients reported outcomes

Core tip: The purpose of this systematic literature review was to investigate the role of exercise training the past 25 years on major physiological-psychological outcomes studied thus far in this patient population. Exercise training appears to be safe for most breast cancer patients and improvements in physiological, psychological, and functional parameters can be attained with regular participation in moderate intensity exercise.