Effects of Exercise on Cancer-related Fatigue and Quality of Life in Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Androgen Deprivation Therapy: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Objective To gain insight on how exercise affects the outcomes of prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy, specifically cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and quality of life (QoL). Methods Systematic searches for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of exercise on CRF and QoL of prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy were carried out to identify the eligible studies from EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane library. Related data were extracted from eligible studies and then subjected to Reviewer Manage 5.3 for analysis. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Results In all, 10 RCTs involving 841 prostate cancer patients (448 of whom exercised and 393 did not) were included in this study. With respect to CRF, there was good consistency among different studies, and it was remarkably reduced in the exercise group (SMD=?0.32, 95%CI:?0.45 to?0.18, P<0.00001,n=784). In regards to QoL, there was also good consistency among different studies, and it was also improved significantly in the exercise group (SMD=0.21, 95%CI: 0.08 to 0.34,P=0.002, n=841). Conclusion Exercise both reduced CRF and improved QoL in prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy.