Table. Characteristics of Included Studies.
| Source | Design | Participants enrolled, No. | Disease or procedure | Inclusion/exclusion criteriaa | Outcomes reported | Intervention period, wk | Exercise frequency, per wk | Approximate total intense exercise duration for the intervention period, min | Approximate duration (min) of HIIT + recovery per session | Attendance, % of planned sessions | High-intensity exercise target | Modality | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIIT | SC | ||||||||||||
| Banerjee et al,35 2018 | RCT | 30 | 30 | Radical cystectomy | Included: patients with bladder cancer; excluded: patients requiring urinary diversion | V̇o2 peak, complications, LOS | 3-6 | 2 | 240 | 30 | 80 | 13-15, Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale score (70%-85% HRmax) | HIIT |
| Barberan-Garcia et al,3 2018 | RCT | 73 | 71 | Abdominal surgery | Included: high-risk elective surgery patients; excluded: patients at <4 wk presurgery | Complications, 6MWT, LOS, SF-36 | 6 | 2-3 | 160 | 40 | ND | High = 85% PPO | HIIT + motivational counseling |
| Berkel et al,36 2022 | RCT | 39 | 35 | Colorectal resection | Included: MET ≤7, VAT <11 | V̇o2 peak, complications | 3 | 3 | 160 | 60 | 90 | 120% of the work rate at VAT | HIIT + resistance training |
| Dunne et al,17 2016 | RCT | 20 | 18 | Liver resection | Included: patients with resectable colorectal liver metastases; excluded: chronic liver disease | V̇o2 peak, VAT, LOS, complications, SF-36 | 4 | 3 | Not defined | 30 | 95 | >90% V̇o2 peak | HIIT |
| Licker et al,37 2017 | RCT | 81 | 83 | Lung cancer | Included: NSCLC stage less than IIIA | V̇o2 peak, 6MWT, complications | 3-4 | 2-3 | 80 | 24 | 87 | 80%-100% PPO | HIIT + resistance training + motivational counseling |
| Molenaar et al,40 2023 | RCT | 123 | 128 | CRC | Included: patients scheduled for elective CRC surgery; excluded: patients with metastases, ASA >4, chronic kidney failure, or comorbidities contraindicated for exercise | V̇o2 peak, 6MWT, complications | 4 | 3 | 100 | 24 | 77 | High = 85%-90% PPO | HIIT + resistance training, nutritional, and psychological support |
| Morkane et al,41 2020 | Non-RCT | 16 | 17 | Liver transplant | Included: patients with cirrhotic liver disease | V̇o2 peak, LOS | 6 | 3 | 200 | 18-20 | 94 | Moderate = 80% VAT; high = 50% of difference in work rates between V̇o2 peak and VAT | HIIT |
| Sebio Garcia et al,43 2016 | RCT | 20 | 20 | Lung cancer | Included: patients with at least 1 of the following: FEV1 ≤80% of predicted value, BMI ≥30, aged ≥75 y, or ≥2 comorbidities, and distance to the facility center ≤80 km; excluded: neoadjuvant therapy within 6 mo of enrollment | LOS, SF-36, 6MWT | 7-8 | 3-5 | 126 | 30 | 64 | High = 80% PPO | HIIT + resistance training + respiratory training |
| Stefanelli et al,39 2013 | RCT | 20 | 20 | Lung cancer | Included: patients aged <75 y, NSCLC stage I-IIA with COPD; excluded: patients with ≥1 of the following: diabetes; CVD; kidney, liver, or respiratory failure; Spo2 <90% during the 6MWT | V̇o2 peak | 3 | 5 | Not defined | Not defined | ND | 70% PPO + 10%/wk | HIIT + respiratory training |
| van Rooijen et al,42 2019 | Non-RCT | 20 | 30 | CRC | Included: patients with resectable CRC; excluded: patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy, ASA 4-5 | Complications, LOS | 4 | 3 | Not defined | Not defined | 88 | High = 85%-100% V̇o2 peak | HIIT + resistance training |
| West et al,16 2015 | Non-RCT | 22 | 13 | CRC | Included: patients with resectable CRC after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy | V̇o2 peak | 6 | 3 | 200 | 18 | 96 | High = 50% the difference in work rates between V̇o2 peak and VAT | HIIT |
| Woodfield et al,6 2022 | RCT | 28 | 35 | Abdominal surgery | Included: patients living within the hospital catchment area | V̇o2 peak, POMS, LOS, complications, SF-36 | 4 | 3 | 100 | 20 | 85 | High = 90% max HR | HIIT |
Abbreviations: 6MWT, 6-Minute Walk Test; ASA, American Society of Anesthesiology score (classification of physical status); BMI, body mass index (as measured by weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared); COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CRC, colorectal cancer; CVD, cardiovascular disease; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in first second of expiration; HIIT, high-intensity interval training; HRmax, maximum heart rate; LOS, length of hospital stay; MET, metabolic equivalent task; ND, not defined; NSCLC, non–small cell lung cancer; POMS, postoperative morbidity score; PPO, peak power output; RCT, randomized controlled trial; SF-36, 36-Item Short Form; Spo2, oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry; VAT, V̇o2 at anaerobic threshold (mL/kg/min); V̇o2 peak, volume of oxygen used (mL/kg/min).
All included patients were adults and excluded if unable to participate in exercise training.