Effects of Exercise Interventions and Physical Activity Behavior on Cancer Related Cognitive Impairments: A Systematic Review

Table 4

Human interventional studies.

Reference		Study design	Study population	Status of therapy	Type of exercise	Duration	Frequency	Parameters	LOE	Level of recommendation
Mustian et al., 2015 [49]	479	RCT	84% breast cancer; 94% female; Nonmetastatic	During chemotherapy	Home based walking and resistance band training	6 weeks	—	FACT-Cog (↑); Inflammatory markers (↓); Anti-inflammatory markers (↑)	1b	A
Derry et al., 2015 [50]	200; 100 IG; 100 CG	RCT	Breast cancer	After chemotherapy, during hormone therapy	Hatha Yoga	12 weeks	2x/week; 90 min	Self-reported cognitive function (BCPT) (→ after intervention, ↑ after 3-month follow-up) and inflammation (→ after intervention, ↑ after 3-month follow-up)	1b	A
Janelsins et al., 2012 [51]	358	RCT	75% breast cancer; 96% female	2–24 months after different adjuvant therapies	Breathing exercise, Yoga, and meditation	4 weeks	2x/week; 75 min	Difficulty in remembering things (Modified MD Anderson Symptom Inventory ↑)	1b	A
Miki et al., 2014 [52]	78; 38 IG; 40 CG	RCT	Breast cancer, age of participants > 65 years	Therapy for cancer with varying treatments	Speed-feedback therapy on a bicycle ergometer	4 weeks	1x/week; 5 min	Frontal assessment battery (↑)	2b	B
Oh et al., 2012 [53]	81; 37 IG; 44 CG	RCT	Breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal carcinoma, and stomach cancer	During and after chemotherapy	Medical Qigong	10 weeks	2x/week; 90 min	Self-reported cognitive function: EORTC QLQ-C30 (↑), FACT-Cog (↑), and CRP (↑)	2b	B
Rogers et al., 2009 [54]	41; 21 IG; 20 CG	RCT	Breast cancer	>3 months after chemotherapy, during hormone therapy	Physical activity behavior change program	12 weeks	—	FACT-Cog (→)	2b	B
Baumann et al., 2011 [55]	17; 9 IG; 8 CG	Controlled trial	Breast cancer	During chemotherapy	Strength training	12 weeks	2x/week; 60 min	Neuropsychological tests: verbal memory MEMO (↑), working memory WIT (→), and attention d2-test (↑)	4	C
Knobf et al., 2014 [56]	26	Uncontrolled trial	Breast cancer	<36 months after chemotherapy	Progressive aerobic endurance training on a treadmill (60–75% Hfmax)	6 months	3x/week; 10–45 min	BCPT (↓ forgetfulness, → concentration)	4	C
Reid-Arndt et al., 2012 [57]	23	Uncontrolled trial	Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia	>12 months after chemotherapy	Tai chi	10 weeks	2x/week; 60 min	Neuropsychological tests: memory (↑ for some patients), executive function (→), speech (→), and attention (↑ for some patients); Subjective problems: multiple abilities self-reported questionnaire (↑ verbal memory, visual memory)	4	C
Galantino et al., 2012 [58]	4	Case series	Breast cancer	Before, during, and after chemotherapy	Iyengar Yoga	12 weeks	1-2x/week; 70 min	Perceived cognition questionnaire (↑/→/↑/→), CogState (↑ speed, ↓/→ accuracy, ↑ errors)	4	C

IG: intervention group; CG: control group; BCPT: Breast Cancer Prevention Trial; EORTC QLQ-C30: European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Quality of Life Questionnaire; FACT-Cog: Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function; CRP: C-Reactive Protein; WIT: Wilde Intelligence Subtest.