Background: Although the survival rates of childhood cancer are increasing, children diagnosed as having cancer experience psychological and physical problems and a declining quality of life (QOL).
Methods: A systematic review of PubMed databases was conducted up to September 2023 to identify studies reporting the effects of group exercise intervention in children with cancer. The inclusion criteria were pre-specified, including children aged ≤19 years old who received group exercise intervention and interventional studies written in English. Studies involving non-exercise intervention or non-group intervention were excluded.
Results: Five studies were included in the present review. In three studies, QOL and physical parameters were improved after group exercise intervention, and in two studies, only physical parameters were improved. Improvements in QOL were achieved through psychosocial variables, improved scores of subscales of pain and hurt, nausea, and procedure-related anxiety, and reduced cancer-related fatigue. All studies had high numbers of participants who completed the intervention. However, all studies showed a high risk of bias regarding the selection of the reported results, and most studies showed a high risk of bias regarding deviations from the intended intervention and outcome measurement.
Conclusion: The reviewed studies showed that group exercise intervention for children with cancer could improve their QOL and/or physical parameters.
Keywords: childhood cancer; exercise; group intervention; physical parameter; quality of life; systematic review.