Photo Credit: Jacob Ammentorp Lund
A retrospective study suggests that exercise, particularly interventions combining balance and strength training, shows promising benefits in improving quality of life (QOL) and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) symptoms.
The following is a summary of “Exercise intervention for the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: a systematic review and network meta-analysis,” published in the January 2024 issue of Neurology by Nakagawa et al.
Despite exercise being advised for cancer survivors with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), the ideal types for prevention and treatment remain unclear.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating the comparative benefits of different exercise types for CIPN management.
They considered relevant RCTs from a systematic review (2019) assessing exercise effects on CIPN and supplemented it with a search for RCTs until 2023. Each RCT’s bias risk was evaluated. NMA gauged exercise comparative effectiveness on patient-reported QOL. Additional meta-analyses explored exercise impact on QOL scores, patient-reported CIPN symptoms, and pain.
The results showed 12 studies (exercise, n = 540; control, n = 527) analyzing 8 exercise interventions. All studies exhibited a high risk of bias. Meta-analyses showcased a noteworthy enhancement in QOL [SMD 0.45; 95% CI = 0.12 to 0.78] and CIPN symptoms (SMD 0.46; 95% CI = 0.11 to 0.82). No severe adverse events were reported. Pain improved with exercise (SMD 0.84; 95% CI = −0.11 to 1.80). NMA indicated that interventions combining balance and strength training significantly improved QOL scores compared to the control.
Investigators concluded that early evidence suggests exercise benefits CIPN and QoL, but more vital studies are needed to confirm its safety and effectiveness.
Source: frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2024.1346099/full