Exercise, Psychological Interventions Better for Cancer Fatigue Than Medications

Psychological interventions and exercise were more effective at improving cancer-related fatigue than certain medications, according to a meta-analysis published in JAMA Oncology.¹

“If a cancer patient is having trouble with fatigue, rather than looking for extra cups of coffee, a nap, or a pharmaceutical solution, consider a 15-minute walk. It’s a really simple concept but it’s very hard for patients and the medical community to wrap their heads around it because these interventions have not been front-and-center in the past. Our research gives clinicians a valuable asset to alleviate cancer-related fatigue,” Karen Mustian, PhD, MPPH, of the Department of Surgery at Wilmot Cancer Institute at the University of Rochester in New York, said in a news release.²

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) during and after cancer treatment is a common complaint by patients with cancer. Exercise, psychological interventions, and pharmaceutical interventions are often recommended.

Mustian and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of the most commonly prescribed treatments for CRF. A systematic and blinded process was used to independently evaluate the included studies.

The meta-analysis included 113 studies from 1999 to 2016 that involved 11,525 participants with a mean age of 54 years. The results indicated that exercise (P <.001), psychological (P <.001), and exercise with psychological interventions (P <.001) improved CRF during and after cancer treatment. Interestingly, pharmaceutical interventions were not tied to improved CRF during and after treatment P =.05). 

The effectiveness of the treatment for CRF was associated with several factors including cancer stage, fatigue measures, and baseline treatment status.¹

“The literature bears out that these drugs don’t work very well although they are continually prescribed. Cancer patients already take a lot of medications and they all come with risks and side effects. So any time you can subtract a pharmaceutical from the picture it usually benefits patients,” Mustian continued in the statement. ²

Reference

1. Mustian KM, Alfano CM, Heckler C, et al. Comparison of pharmaceutical, psychological, and exercise treatments for cancer-related fatigue a meta-analysis. JAMA Oncol. 2017 Mar 2. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.6914 [Epub ahead of print]

2. Research shows exercise is a boon for cancer patients [news release]. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Medical Center; March 02, 2017. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/4736/research-shows-exercise-is-a-boon-for-cancer-patients.aspx. Accessed March 24, 2017.