Characterising pragmatic exercise interventions to reduce cognitive impairment in cancer survivors: A scoping review protocol

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to identify the characteristics of pragmatic exercise interventions aimed to reduce cognitive impairment in cancer survivors, and their effectiveness in reducing this impairment and maintaining high adherence.Introduction: Cognitive impairment (CI) is a particularly troublesome side-effect of cancer treatment that has been suggested to decrease following exercise interventions. Most existing research consists of randomized control trials, which often lack external validity. Pragmatic interventions fill this gap. Some pragmatic trials that provide real-world evidence, however, struggle to maintain strong participant adherence. Thus, examining characteristics of pragmatic interventions with high levels of adherence may be beneficial in improving overall adherence in future pragmatic trials on this topic.Inclusion criteria: This review will examine literature with cancer survivors who are partaking in pragmatic exercise programs. Specifically, literature exploring the effects of pragmatic exercise interventions in decreasing cancer survivors’ CI will be examined, with no limits to intervention mode, frequency, or duration. “Cancer survivor” will be defined as any individual with a cancer diagnosis, at any point along the survivorship continuum.Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was developed in accordance with JBI methodology to retrieve relevant sources. Databases to be reviewed from inception to present will include CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and PsychInfo. Two independent screeners will examine titles and abstracts as well as full texts of relevant sources. The results of the search and the study inclusion process will be reported in full in a PRISMA-ScR flow diagram. The results will be presented narratively, using appropriate tables and figures.