Skip to main content
. 2012 Aug 15;2012(8):CD007566. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007566.pub2

Oh 2008.

Study characteristics
Methods Study design: RCT
Number randomized: 30; 15 to the exercise group and 15 to the control group
Study start and stop dates: recruitment took place from July 2006 to August 2006
Length of intervention: 8 weeks
Length of follow‐up: to end of the intervention
Participants Type cancer, n:
  • exercise group: breast, 6; ovary, 4; lymphoma, 1; lung, 1; colon, 0; others, 3

  • control group: breast, 6; ovary, 2; lymphoma, 1; lung, 1; colon, 3; others, 2


Time since cancer diagnosis: not reported
Time beyond active treatment: some patient still undergoing chemotherapy; randomization stratified by whether still being treated or completed therapy
 Inclusion criteria:
  • confirmed diagnosis of cancer at any stage

  • ≥ 18 years old

  • ECOG performance status of 0 to 3

  • expected survival length of > 12 months

  • ability to complete all study questionnaires and sign the consent form


Eligibility criterion related to interest or ability to exercise, or both:
  • medical contraindication for exercise (e.g. significant orthopedic problem or cardiovascular disease)

  • already practicing Qigong


Exclusion criteria:
  • diagnosis of other major medical or psychiatric disorder

  • history of epilepsy, brain metastasis, delirium, or dementia


Gender, n:·        
  • exercise group: male, 3; female, 12

  • control group: male, 3; female, 12


Age group, n:
  • exercise group: 36 to 45 years, 2; 46 to 55 years, 4; 56 to 65 years, 3; 66 to 75 years, 6

  • control group: 36 to 45 years, 2; 46 to 55 years, 3; 56 to 65 years, 9; 66 to 75 years, 1


Age at cancer diagnosis: not reported
Ethnicity, n:
  • exercise group: Caucasian, 11; Asian, 3; Indigenous Australian, 1

  • control group: Caucasian, 14; Asian, 0; Indigenous Australian, 1


Education level, n:
  • exercise group: primary, 1; secondary, 5; tertiary, 9

  • control group: primary, 1; secondary, 4; tertiary, 10


SES: not reported
Employment status: not reported
Comorbidities: not reported
Past exercise history: limited by eligibility criteria
On hormone therapy: not reported
Interventions 15 participants assigned to exercise group, consisting of medical qigong, with each session including:
  • 15 minutes of general discussion

  • 30 minutes of gentle stretching and body movement in standing postures 

  • 15 minutes of movement in seated posture, and 

  • 30 minutes of breathing exercise


Type exercise (aerobic/anaerobic): aerobic
Intensity of experimental exercise intervention: mild
Frequency: once or twice a week for 8 weeks and recommendation to practice at home daily
Duration of sessions: 90 minutes, 1 hour for home sessions
Duration of program: 8 weeks
Total number of exercise sessions: maximum of 16 facility‐based and 56 home‐based sessions
Facility: facility
Professionally led: experienced medical qigong instructor who was a Chinese medicine practitioner
15 participants assigned to control group, including:
  • usual care


Adherence: not reported
Contamination of control group: not reported
Outcomes The primary outcomes, QoL and symptom experience, included:
  • global QoL, measured using EOTRC QLQ‐C30, and subscales of:

    • physical function

    • role function

    • emotional function

    • cognition function

    • social function

    • fatigue

    • nausea

    • pain

    • dyspnea

    • insomnia

    • appetite

    • constipation

    • diarrhea

    • perceived financial impact of the disease


Physiologic outcomes included:
  • c‐reactive protein


Outcomes were measured at baseline and 8 weeks:
  • exercise group: n = 15 at baseline, n = 8 at 8 weeks

  • control group: n = 15 at baseline, n = 10 at 8 weeks


Subgroup analysis: none reported
Adverse events: none reported
Notes Country: Australia
Funding: University of Sydney Cancer Research Fund
Risk of bias
Bias Authors' judgement Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias) Low risk "Randomization was done by a computer program"
Allocation concealment (selection bias) Unclear risk Whether the treatment assignment was concealed from study personnel and participants was not described
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes High risk Owing to the nature of the intervention, masking or blinding of study participants was not possible; however, it is unclear whether the lack of masking could influence the outcomes
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes High risk Study personnel and outcome assessors were not masked or blinded to the study interventions
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes High risk ITT analysis not completed. Of 15 randomized participants in each treatment group, 7 withdrew from the exercise group and 5 from the control group
Selective reporting (reporting bias) Unclear risk There is no evidence of selective reporting of outcomes
Other bias Unclear risk Small sample size can put study at risk of bias