The content and effectiveness of physical activity for cancer-related fatigue among colorectal cancer survivors: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Only eight randomized trials and 542 participants were included, and several trials had small samples, so subgroup results may be unstable. Fatigue was measured with six different questionnaires, and heterogeneity was high, so pooled results are imprecise. Risk of bias was moderate: allocation concealment was rarely reported, blinding of participants and personnel was not possible, and only one trial reported adverse events. Control groups were not restricted from exercising, and only two studies reported contamination rates, so usual care may have included physical activity. Exercise modes, lengths, weekly durations, and participant treatment stages varied widely, and the review could not determine the best type or dose. The review excluded patients with distant metastasis or conditions affecting movement, so findings may not apply to those patients.

The review authors reported no conflicts of interest. It was funded by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

Do not read the subgroup findings as proof that a specific dose is optimal. The analysis included only eight trials with high heterogeneity, and the 150-minute and 6-month subgroup results could not be supported by exercise-mode analyses because too few studies were available.