Leisure and Productivity in Older Adults with Cancer: A Systematic Review.
Cynthia Engels, Robin Bairet, Florence Canoui-Poitrine and 1 others
PMID 33880113WHAT IT FOUND
Cancer limits social leisure and physical activity in older adults, with 14% to 18% reporting social restrictions.
Patients often abandon valued tasks for low-demand activities. Evidence for occupational therapy interventions is sparse, relying mostly on case reports rather than trials.
Key findings
01Between 14% and 18% of older prostate cancer survivors reported limitations in social life or leisure activities after treatment.
02Older cancer survivors reduced overall activity by 12% and high-demand physical leisure by 34%, shifting toward low-demand activities like resting.
03The review found no randomized trials testing occupational therapy for leisure or productivity in this population, identifying only one case study and one observational study as relevant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only seven studies met inclusion criteria, and none were randomized trials testing occupational therapy interventions for leisure or productivity. Half of the included studies were not specific to older adults and did not analyze results for the over-65 subgroup separately. The evidence base is predominantly Western, with only one study from Japan, limiting generalizability. Most participants were cancer survivors rather than those actively undergoing treatment, meaning findings may not apply to the acute care phase. Included studies used varied and sometimes vague definitions of leisure and productivity, making direct comparison difficult.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was not funded by commercial sponsors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the reported activity reductions as evidence that occupational therapy interventions are effective. The review found no trials testing these interventions, and the only positive data came from a single case report and observational studies that cannot establish causality.