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Exercise During Chemotherapy Improves Quality of Life, Major Meta-Analysis Finds

Stronger pooled evidence gives clinicians confidence to recommend safe, tailored activity during treatment.

Overview

  • Published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity on February 25, the study was led by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami.
  • Researchers synthesized 21 randomized controlled trials involving 3,024 women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer.
  • Structured programs featuring aerobic exercise, resistance training, or combined routines yielded significant gains in physical, emotional, and mental quality-of-life measures by treatment completion.
  • No single exercise type proved superior, supporting flexible, personalized prescriptions with appropriate supervision during active treatment.
  • The analysis showed a moderate overall effect (Hedges g≈0.43) and a roughly two‑thirds probability of better outcomes with exercise, while noting heterogeneity, regional differences, and limited adherence reporting as constraints.