Effects of Physical Activity on Quality of Life, Anxiety and Depression in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

PurposeAnxiety, depression, and poor quality of life were considered important concerns that hindered the rehabilitation of breast cancer survivors. A number of studies have investigated the effects of physical activity, but they have not reached the same conclusions. This review aimed to identify the effects of physical activity on quality of life, anxiety, and depression in breast cancer survivors. MethodsPubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SinoMed, CNKI, Vip and WanFang database were searched for the time period between January 1, 2012, and April 30, 2022. Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials of the effects of physical activity on quality of life, anxiety or depression in breast cancer survivors. The tool of the Joanna Briggs Institute was used to assess the quality of the included studies. R software version 4.3.1 was used for meta-analysis. ResultsA total of 26 studies involving 2,105 participants were included in the systematic review. Among these, 20 studies involving 1,228 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, the results indicated that physical activity can significantly improve quality of life (Hedges' g = 0.67; 95% CI 0.41 to 0.92) and reduce anxiety (Hedges' g = − 0.28; 95% CI − 0.46 to − 0.10) in breast cancer survivors. However, the effect of physical activity on depression (Hedges' g = − 0.46; 95% CI − 0.99 to 0.06) was not statistically significant. ConclusionPhysical activity was an effective intervention to improve quality of life and reduce anxiety in breast cancer survivors, as well as showed positive trends in depression, although without statistical significance. More well-designed studies are required to clarify the effects of different types of physical activities on the quality of life, anxiety, and depression among breast cancer survivors. Registered number on PROSPEROCRD42022363094. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=363094.