Network meta-analysis of the intervention effects of different exercise measures on Sarcopenia in cancer patients

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the impact of four exercise modes (aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, aerobic combined with resistance multimodal exercise, and stretching) on the physical performance of cancer patients. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were exclusively collected from PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library, with a search deadline of April 30, 2023. Different exercise interventions on the physical performance of cancer patients were studied, and the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was employed to evaluate the quality of the included literature. Data analysis was conducted using STATA 15.1 software. RESULTS: This study included ten randomized controlled trials with a combined sample size of 503 participants. Network meta-analysis results revealed that aerobic combined with resistance multimodal exercise could reduce fat mass in cancer patients (SUCRA: 92.3%). Resistance exercise could improve lean mass in cancer patients (SUCRA: 95.7%). Furthermore, resistance exercise could enhance leg extension functionality in cancer patients with sarcopenia (SUCRA: 83.0%). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that resistance exercise may be more beneficial for cancer-related sarcopenia.In clinical practice, exercise interventions should be tailored to the individual patients' circumstances. REGISTRATION NUMBER: This review was registered on INPLASY2023110025; DOI number is https://doi.org/10.37766/inplasy2023.11.0025 .