Physical Activity Interventions for Colorectal Cancer Survivors A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background Physical activity (PA) has been shown to improve total mortality and colorectal-specific mortality risk; however, colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors have lower rates of PA compared with survivors with other types of cancers. Objective To examine the effect of PA interventions on CRC survivors. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to identify randomized controlled trials that met the inclusion criteria, which included an intervention designed to increase PA and more than 1 outcome of interest. Random effects of the meta-analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3. Results Eight publications representing 7 randomized controlled trials of 803 participants were identified. All studies used a combination of behavioral change methods. Physical activity interventions significantly improved disease-specific quality of life, PA level, and maximum amount of oxygen and did not show significant improvements for fatigue and body mass index among CRC survivors. Conclusions We provided evidence that PA interventions were effective in improving disease-specific quality of life, PA level, and maximum amount of oxygen; however, they did not improve fatigue and body mass index. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the optimal mode of delivering PA intervention for CRC survivors. Implications for Practice As the survival rate of patients with CRC increases, survivors of CRC need to increase PA in a community setting after completing primary treatments. Effective and efficient modes of PA intervention delivery could improve health-related outcomes and address specific barriers for CRC survivors.