Effectiveness of Exercise-Based Interventions on Fatigue among Head and Neck Cancer Patients on Radiotherapy: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Fatigue is a significant challenge among head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, impacting their well-being and daily functioning. Exercise-based interventions hold promise in alleviating this fatigue burden. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise-based interventions on fatigue among patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiotherapy.

Methods: We systematically searched for the studies in Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, Cochrane Library Database, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar in the English language from 2000 to 2023. Two reviewers independently identified the articles using key thesaurus and free text terms based on the inclusion criteria. The review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement. Meta-analysis was done by using RevMan 5.3 software.

Results: The systematic review included nine trials encompassing 647 participants, out of which five were randomized control trials and were selected for meta-analysis. Pooled data from randomized control trials showed that exercise-based interventions were effective in reducing few dimensions of fatigue such as general fatigue, physical fatigue, emotional fatigue significantly (P < .001) among Head and Neck Cancer patients receiving radiotherapy.

Conclusion: Preliminary evidence from the review suggests that engaging in exercise-based interventions may reduce fatigue among patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiotherapy. However, future research is necessary, as most of the articles in current review were either pilot studies or feasibility trials.

Implications for nursing practice: This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol was registered in PROSPERO with the register number CRD42023428284.