Physical Activity Promotion Programmes in Childhood Cancer Patients and Their Impact on Fatigue and Pain: A Systematic Review.

Catherine Malysse,Manuel González-Sánchez,Rita Pilar Romero-Galisteo,Jose Antonio Merchán-Baeza,Alejandro Galan-Mercant,J Ignacio Durán-Millán

doi:10.3390/children8121119

Abstract

Cancer is one of the main causes of death in children, however, the techniques and interventions applied allow the cure of 80% of diagnosed cases. The aim of this review was to determine the benefits of a health and physical activity promotion programme to reduce pain and fatigue symptoms in children and adolescents with cancer. The databases PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science and PEDro were searched between December 2020 and January 2021 to elaborate this review, using the keywords child, cancer, exercise, fatigue and pain. The review was preregistered in PROSPERO (ID CRD42021262183). Six studies, out of 937 identified at baseline, were finally included in the review: four randomised controlled trials and two quasi-experimental studies. The total sample size of all the included studies was of 474 participants with very different types of cancer and evolution, and outcome variables were pain, fatigue, physical activity level, self-efficacy and quality of life. A health and physical activity promotion programme seems to improve fatigue in paediatric cancer patients and survivors, but no significant results were found related to pain.

Highlights

Childhood cancer refers to any cancer type in children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 [1]
The most frequent types of cancer in the paediatric population include leukaemia, lymphomas and tumours of the central nervous system, the prevalence of which varies according to the age of the patient
Inclusion criteria were: (a) randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies; (b) published in English, Spanish, French or Dutch; (c) with pain or fatigue as outcome variables; (d) in child cancer patients or survivors; (e) aged 0–18; (f) who were included in a health and physical activity (PA) promotion programme

Summary

Introduction

Childhood cancer refers to any cancer type in children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 [1]. It is undeniable that greater cancer survival rate is a positive fact, but it means that more people suffer severe adverse effects due to the treatment, which are even more severe in young patients [9,10]. These adverse effects do not occur exclusively during the disease, and in cancer survivors as cardiotoxicity is one of the main morbidity causes due to chemotherapy treatments with anthracyclines and radiation [11,12]. Apart from other reasons, this is why the risk of early mortality is eight times higher in these patients compared to the general population [11,13]

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Conclusion