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Effects of exercise interventions for physical fitness, fatigue, and quality of life in adult hematologic malignancy patients without receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the effects of exercise interventions on the physical fitness, fatigue, and quality of life (QOL) in adults with hematological malignancy (HM) who did not receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Methods

We performed a systematic review with meta-analysis and qualitative evidence synthesis. We systematically searched 10 electronic databases including Medline, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, CINAHL complete, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, China Wan Fang Database, China National Knowledge Internet, and China Science and Technology Journal Database from their inception up to March 2021. The Cochrane guideline was followed, and a PRISMA checklist for reporting systematic reviews was completed.

Results

Fifteen studies were included in this systematic review, of which 11 were included in the meta-analysis. There was a significant increase in the physical fitness between the exercise group and the control group, in terms of the 6-min walk test and peak oxygen consumption. There was a significant change in the peak oxygen consumption from the baseline to the endpoint in the exercise group. In the between-group analyses, there were no significant differences in the effect of exercise on the grip strength, fatigue, and QOL; however, in the within-group analysis, QOL was significantly increased in the combination exercise group.

Conclusion

Both aerobic exercise and combination exercise appear safe and feasible and can improve physical fitness in adult patients with HM who have not received HSCT. The combination exercise may have potential benefits for their QOL.

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Availability of data and materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Code availability

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Nature Science Foundation of Fujian Province and the Science and Technology Innovation Joint Fund Project of Fujian Province for providing funding for this study.

Funding

This study was supported by the Natural Scientific Foundation Project of Fujian Province (Grant No. 2019J01684) and the Science and Technology Innovation Joint Fund Project of Fujian Province (Grant No. 2019Y9029).

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Author notes

  1. Wenkui Xu and Lei Yang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fujian Province, The School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, NO.1 Xueyuan Road, Shangjie Town, Minhou County, Fuzhou City, 350108, China

    Wenkui Xu, Lei Yang, Ying Wang, Xiaoxia Wu & Rong Hu

  2. Department of Hematology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, 29 Xinquan Road, Fuzhou, 350001, China

    Yong Wu

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  1. Wenkui Xu
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Contributions

WKX and LY contributed equally to this study. WKX and LY contributed to study selection, reference quality evaluation, and data extraction. WKX was responsible for manuscript preparation. RH and YW contributed to the design of the study, critical revision of the manuscript, and supervised the research. YW and XXW reviewed the data. All authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript.

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Xu, W., Yang, L., Wang, Y. et al. Effects of exercise interventions for physical fitness, fatigue, and quality of life in adult hematologic malignancy patients without receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Support Care Cancer 30, 7099–7118 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-022-07029-y

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