Effects of physical exercise on the quality-of-life of patients with haematological malignancies and thrombocytopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Annually, there are an estimated 1187000 new patients worldwide diagnosed with haematological malignancies. Effective strategies are needed to alleviate side effects and prevent the physical and psychosocial degeneration of patients in active treatment for haematological malignancies. AIM: To explore the effects of physical exercise on quality of life (QoL) of patients with haematological malignancies and thrombocytopenia. METHODS: Cochrane Library, PubMed and Embase were searched for all relevant articles reporting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were published up to 31 July 2021. Two authors independently selected articles in accordance with the inclusion criteria, evaluated their quality, and collected information. Any controversy was resolved through discussion with a third senior author. The PRISMA 2009 checklist was followed. RESULTS: Seven RCTs were selected in the systematic review and three were included in the final meta-analysis. There were significant differences in QoL between physical exercise groups [mean score difference = 8.81; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.81-15.81, P = 0.01], especially in emotional functioning (mean score difference = 12.34; 95%CI: 4.64-20.04, P = 0.002) and pain (mean score difference = –12.77; 95%CI: -3.91 to -21.63, P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Physical exercise has clinical effects on QoL and improves emotional function and pain indices of patients with haematological malignancies and thrombocytopenia.