Table 3.
A list of reviews on supportive care including physical activity, complementary and alternative medicine and quality of life (2008–2018)
| Authors [References] | Year | Main focus | Description/analysis | No. of databases | No. of included studies | Performed QA | Risk of bias assessment | Result(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bicego et al. [55] | 2009 | The effect of exercise on QOL | Systematic review | 4 | 9 | Yes | No | Exercise as an effective strategy can improve QOL in patients |
| Bleakley and Stinson [56] | 2011 | CAM and QOL | Narrative review | 6 | 8 | Yes | No | There is great potential for complementary and alternative therapies to be increasingly integrated into clinical practice within breast cancer services |
| Levine and Balk [57] | 2012 | Yoga and QOL improvement | Literature review | 7 | 71 | NA | NA | Participation in yoga programs appeared to benefit breast cancer patients |
| Zhang, et al. [58] | 2012 | Effects of yoga on psychological function and QOL | Systematic review and meta-analysis | 5 | 6 | Yes | Yes | There is insufficient evidence to advocate that yoga should be offered routinely to women diagnosed with breast cancer. However, it may be an acceptable intervention to improve QOL for these women |
| Boehm et al. [59] | 2014 | Arts therapies for anxiety, depression, and QOL | Systematic review and meta-analysis | 3 | 13 | Yes | Yes | Overall, the option of participation in arts therapies can be recommended and has shown to be significantly effective for the reduction of anxiety in patients |
| Sawyer [60] | 2014 | Complementary exercise and QOL | Systematic review | 4 | 9 | No | No | Although complementary exercise improved QOL statistically in two-thirds of the research findings, further research is recommended |
| Zeng Y et al. [61] | 2014 | Effects of exercise intervention on QOL in BCS | Systematic review and meta-analysis | 5 | 19 | Yes | Yes | Exercise interventions have statistically significant effects on overall QOL, as well as positive trends for breast and arm symptoms |
| Yan et al. [62] | 2014 | Lack of Efficacy of Tai Chi in Improving QOL in BCS | Systematic review and meta-analysis | 4 | 9 | Yes | Yes | There is a lack of sufficient evidence to support Tai Chi benefiting the management of BCS in improving QOL and other important clinical outcomes |
| Leggett et al. [63] | 2015 | Effects of CAM on cancer symptoms, treatment side effects, QOL, and survival | Systematic review | 5 | 22 | Yes | Yes | Guarana and Ganoderma lucidum may improve fatigue, whereas glutamine may also be effective in improving oral mucositis symptoms |
| Van Dijck et al. [64] | 2016 | The effects of different physical self-management techniques on QOL | Systematic review | 4 | 13 | Yes | Yes | Physical self-management interventions during breast cancer treatment as well as after the primary treatment seem to generate beneficial effects on QOL |
| Zhang et al. [65] | 2016 | Effects of mindfulness-based therapy on QOL | Systematic review and meta-analysis | 6 | 7 | Yes | Yes | There was limited that mindfulness-based therapy can improve QOL |
| Cramer et al. [66] | 2017 | Yoga for improving HRQOL, mental health and cancer-related symptoms | Systematic review and meta-analysis | 6 | 23 | Yes | Yes | Moderate-quality evidence supported the recommendation of yoga for improving HRQOL and reducing fatigue and sleep disturbances when compared with no therapy, as well as for reducing depression, anxiety and fatigue, when compared with psychosocial/educational interventions |
| D'Egidio et al. [67] | 2017 | Effect of counseling interventions on HRQOL | Systematic review | 2 | 35 | Yes | No | Exercise counseling as well as physical therapy are effective to improve shoulder mobility, healing wounds, and limb strength |
| Husebo et al. [68] | 2017 | Mind–body exercise therapies and QOL | Review | 4 | 11 | Yes | Yes | Yoga was found to benefit patients’ psychological QOL, while less support was established concerning physical QOL elements |
| Lipsett et al. [69] | 2017 | Exercise during adjuvant radiotherapy on fatigue and QOL | Systematic review and meta-analysis | 6 | 9 | Yes | No | Statistically significant benefits of supervised, combined aerobic resistance exercise on fatigue were achieved |
| Pan et al. [70] | 2017 | Yoga practice improve treatment-related side effects and QOL | Systematic review and meta-analysis | 3 | 16 | Yes | No | Yoga was associated with enhanced overall HRQOL and relief of anxiety, depression and gastrointestinal adverse reactions in breast cancer patients and survivors |
| Zaidi et al. [71] | 2018 | Effect of complementary therapies on survivors’ QOL | Review | NA | NA | No | No | There is a need for personalized physical activity plans to be developed to suit the individual and their circumstances |
| Zhang et al. [72] | 2018 | Effectiveness of telephone- based interventions on HRQOL and prognostic outcomes | Systematic review and meta-analysis | 6 | 14 | Yes | Yes | Based on the insufficient evidence, the effects on depression, fatigue and physiological function were not statistically significant |
QA quality appraisal, NA not available, CAM complementary and alternative medicine, QOL patient-reported outcomes, BCS breast cancer survivors, HRQOL health-related quality of life