Effects of Cancer Rehabilitation Interventions for Women Treated for Gynaecological Cancers: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.
Liuxin Zhang, Ankie Tan Cheung, Yongfeng Chen and 1 others
PMID 39871663WHAT IT FOUND
Cancer rehabilitation programmes increased physical activity in women treated for gynaecological cancers, with effects lasting up to 12 months, but did not improve healthy eating, anxiety, depression, or overall quality of life.
Key findings
01Across four pooled trials, total physical activity increased (standardised mean difference 0.50, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.86, p = 0.007), and the effect remained at 6 and 12 months.
02Healthy eating habits did not improve overall (standardised mean difference 0.34, 95% CI -0.19 to 0.86, p = 0.21). Caloric intake showed a pooled reduction (standardised mean difference -0.42, 95% CI -0.78 to -0.05, p = 0.02), but no significant effects at 6- and 12-month follow-up.
03Overall quality of life did not improve immediately post-intervention (standardised mean difference 0.18, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.41, p = 0.13) or at 3 months (standardised mean difference 0.20, 95% CI -0.08 to 0.49, p = 0.17), and depression did not change (standardised mean difference -0.18, 95% CI -0.55 to 0.19, p = 0.35).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Most participants had endometrial cancer, so the findings may not apply to all gynaecological cancer types. Six of the nine trials were pilot studies, and sample sizes ranged from 22 to 80. Physical activity was measured with different scales, and one trial was not included in the physical activity meta-analysis because it reported medians and interquartile ranges. Five trials did not blind outcome assessment, and four trials had unclear allocation concealment. One trial was rated high risk of bias because participants deviated from the intended intervention. No included trial measured smoking or alcohol cessation. Only a few trials measured psychological distress, so evidence on anxiety and depression is weak.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that cancer rehabilitation after gynaecological cancer improves quality of life, mood or healthy eating. The pooled results for those outcomes were not significant, and the trials delivered multicomponent programmes, so the effect cannot be assigned to any single component.