Table 3.
Sample characteristics across the studies
| Study/author/year | Sample size | n = intervention group/mean age (SD)/gender/% received surgery | n = control group/mean age (SD)/gender/% received surgery | Type of cancer/adjuvant treatment (yes/no/unknown) | Time since surgery/treatment (min/max) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cnossen et al. (2016) [43] | n = 38 |
n = 38 Mean age: 65 Male n = 29 (76%) Female n = 9 (24%) 100% Total laryngectomy |
None |
Head and neck cancer Radio-/chemotherapy: unknown |
Between 3 months to 2 years prior to the study |
| Foster et al. (2016) [38] | n = 159 |
n = 83 Mean age: 58.1 (10.7) Male n = 22 (26.5%) Female n = 61 (73.5%) Surgery: 85.5% (n = 71) |
n = 76 Mean age: 57.5 (9.1) Male n = 15 (19.7%) Female n = 61 (80.3%) Surgery: 84.2% (n = 64) |
Various cancer types Radio-/chemotherapy: no |
No minimal time threshold since surgery or treatment 5-year maximum period since diagnosis |
| Harder et al. (2017) [44] | n = 13 |
Phase 1 n = 9 Mean age: 52.3 Male n = 0 Female n = 9 (100%) Surgery: 100% (n = 9) |
Phase 2 n = 4 Mean age: between 51 and 58 years Male n = 0 Female n = 4 (100%) Surgery: 100% (n = 4) |
Breast cancer Radio-/chemotherapy: yes |
Not stated |
| Kanera et al. (2016) [39] | n = 462 |
n = 231 ITT-analysed Mean age: 55.6 (11.5) Male n = 48 (20.8%) Female n = 183 (79.2%) Surgery: 83.5% (n = 193) |
n = 231 ITT-analysed Mean age: 56.2 (11.3) Male n = 45 (19.5%) Female n = 186 (80.5%) Surgery: 80.6% (n = 186) |
Various cancer types Radio-/chemotherapy: No |
A minimum of 4 weeks since surgery |
| Kanera et al. (2017) [36] | n = 462 |
n = 231 ITT-analysed Mean age: 55.6 (11.5) Male n = 48 (20.8%) Female n = 183 (79.2%) Surgery: 83.5% (n = 193) |
n = 231 ITT-analysed Mean age: 56.2 (11.3) Male n = 45 (19.5%) Female n = 186 (80.5%) Surgery: 80.6% (n = 186) |
Various cancer types Radio-/chemotherapy: no |
A minimum of 4 weeks since surgery |
| Lee et al. (2013) [46] | n = 76 |
Development phase n = 46 No other information is provided by the authors |
Evaluation phase n = 30 Mean age: 41.5 (6.3) Male: not stated Female: not stated Surgery: 100% (n = 30) |
Breast cancer Radio-/chemotherapy: yes |
No upper time limit since initial cancer diagnosis or treatment |
| Lee et al. (2014) [40] | n = 59 |
n = 30 (after randomization, before dropouts) Mean age: 41.5 (6.3) Female n = 30 (100%) Surgery: 100% (n = 30) |
n = 29 (after randomization, before dropouts) Mean age: 43.2 (5.1) Female n = 29 (100%) Surgery: 100% (n = 29) |
Breast cancer Radio-/chemotherapy: no |
No minimal time threshold since surgery or treatment |
| Melissant et al. (2018) [41] | n = 68 |
n = 68 (participants left after dropouts. Before dropouts: n = 76 post-baseline) Mean age: 56 (12) Male: not stated Female: not stated Surgery: 100% (n = 68) |
None |
Breast cancer Radio-/chemotherapy: no |
A minimum of 4 weeks since surgery |
| Myall et al. (2015) [45] | n = 19 |
n = 8 (after consent) Mean age of total sample: n = 14 < 60 years n = 5 > 60 years Gender of total sample: Male: 4 Female: 15 Surgery for the total Received by: n = 16 No surgery: n = 1 Missing: n = 2 |
n = 11 (after consent) Mean age of total sample: n = 14 < 60 years n = 5 > 60 years Gender of total sample: Male: 4 Female: 15 Surgery for the total Received by: n = 16 No surgery: n = 1 Missing: n = 2 |
Various cancer types Radio-/chemotherapy: no |
No minimal time threshold since surgery or treatment 5-year maximum period since diagnosis |
| Paxton et al. (2017) [42] | n = 71 |
n = 34 Randomized after consent, ITT, before dropouts Mean age: 52.7 (8.4) Male: not stated Female: not stated Surgery: n = 31 (91%) |
n = 37 Randomized after consent, ITT, before dropouts Mean age: 51.8 (8.9) Male: not stated Female: not stated Surgery: n = 36 (97%) |
Breast cancer Radio-/chemotherapy: no |
No upper time limit since initial cancer diagnosis or treatment |
| Willems et al. (2017) [37] | n = 462 |
n = 231 ITT-analysed Mean age: 55.6 (11.5) Male: n = 48 (20.8%) Female: n = 183 (79.2%) Surgery: 83.5% (n = 193) |
n = 231 ITT-analysed Mean age: 56.2 (11.3) Male: n = 45 (19.5%) Female: n = 186 (80.5%) Surgery: 80.6% (n = 186) |
Various cancer types Radio-/chemotherapy: no |
A minimum of 4 weeks since surgery |