Figure - available from: Integrative Cancer Therapies
This content is subject to copyright.
Source publication
Objective:
The purpose of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a Tai Chi Chih (TCC) intervention in senior female cancer survivors with physical functioning limitations, and its effects on health-related quality of life (QOL).
Design:
This was a two-armed, parallel group, RCT with 12-weeks of...
Citations
... The 80% cutoff is commonly used in behavioral and supportive care trials. 28,29 We also asked participants whether they found the video helpful and whether they would recommend it to patients who planned to receive CAR T-cell therapy using a 4-point Likert scale, similar to prior studies. 21 ...
... When participants were asked if they felt comfortable seeing the video to help answer questions regarding medical care, 63.6% (21/33) reported feeling very comfortable, 27.3% (9/33) somewhat comfortable, 3% (1/33) not comfortable, and 6.1% (2/33) did not know. Overall, 90.9% (30/33) Clinical diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression 10 (25) 11 (28) Percentages may add up to .100% due to rounding. ...
Background: CAR T-cell therapy has transformed the treatment of hematologic malignancies, but it is complex and challenging to convey to patients. Educational video interventions are efficacious for improving patient knowledge about cancer therapeutics and informing their care preferences, yet no educational videos have been evaluated in CAR T-cell therapy. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing an educational video versus usual care in adults (age ≥18 years) with hematologic malignancies receiving CAR T-cell therapy at Massachusetts General Hospital. Intervention participants watched a 13-minute video depicting how CAR T-cell therapy works, logistics, toxicities, prognosis, recovery, and approaches for dealing with prognostic uncertainty. The primary outcome was feasibility (≥60% enrollment rate). Secondary outcomes included acceptability (≥80% reporting comfort with the video), patients’ knowledge about CAR T-cell therapy (10-item test), and self-efficacy (Communication and Attitudinal Self-Efficacy Scale–Cancer), decision satisfaction (Decision Conflict Scale), psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and preference for CAR T-cell therapy. Results : We enrolled 79% (80/101) of eligible patients. Of that group, 91% (30/33) reported being very or somewhat comfortable watching the video, and 94% (31/33) would definitely or probably recommend the video. At 1 month, participants in the video arm reported higher self-efficacy (mean difference [MD], 9.2 [95% CI, –4.0 to 22.3]; Cohen’s d , 0.32), decision satisfaction (MD, 2.5 [95% CI, 0.7–4.2]; Cohen’s d , 0.67), and lower anxiety (MD, –0.8 [95% CI, –2.5 to 0.7]; Cohen’s d , 0.26) compared with participants in the usual care arm. At 1 week, both arms reported high preferences for CAR T-cell therapy (video arm, 94% [33/35]; usual care, 84% [27/32]). Conclusions: We found that an educational video for patients receiving CAR T-cell therapy was feasible and acceptable. The educational video demonstrated promising preliminary effects on patient self-efficacy and decision satisfaction and warrants further study.
... All studies, except one (Moraes et al., 2016), were conducted in high-income countries; all participants were White. The included RCTs (22) involved 1,346 participants (79% women) (Banitalebi et al., 2018;Borst et al., 2002;Campo et al., 2013;Furtado et al., 2016Furtado et al., , 2020Furtado et al., , 2021Ha & Son, 2018;Hersey et al., 1994;Ho et al., 2020;Im et al., 2019;Kim et al., 2018;Lu et al., 2020;Mura et al., 2014;Prakhinkit et al., 2014;Rieping et Observational studies included mostly generally healthy older adults (n = 8), and subgroup analyses in studies were performed by fitness level (n = 4), gender (n = 2), age (n = 1), stress exposure (n = 1), or DHEA level (n = 1). Intervention studies with a cortisol outcome investigated generally healthy older adults (n = 8) or individuals with mood disorders (n = 3), cognitive impairment (n = 3), or other (n = 3, cancer survivors, metabolic syndrome, or frailty). ...
Age-related changes affect the ratio between two steroid hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (sulfate) (DHEA[S]). Physical activity (PA) may buffer the effects of chronic stress and counteract the aging decline of DHEA(S). Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to understand how PA influences physiological markers of cortisol and/or DHEA(S) and whether there is a difference in observational associations or experimental effects in older adults aged 65 years and older. A narrative synthesis was performed on nine observational studies, and meta-analyses were performed on 22 randomized controlled trials. There was low- to moderate-quality evidence that regular PA beneficially reduces cortisol and increases DHEA(S) levels. Subgroup analyses showed no clinically important differences between men and women, different exercise modalities, or health states. The findings cautiously suggest that regular PA of older adults’ own choice that they find enjoyable could be recommended to improve cortisol and/or DHEA(S) levels.
... Furthermore, tai chi interventions designed specifically for individuals with pain-related conditions (eg, osteoarthritic knee pain) have significantly improved pain and physical functional outcomes [20]. However, there is lack of data regarding the use of tai chi interventions to target Al-induced arthralgia for patients with BC. ...
Background:
Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer is the most common type of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are the endocrine therapy of choice recommended for these patients. Up to 50% of those treated with an AI develop arthralgia, often resulting in poor adherence and decreased quality of life.
Objective:
The study is a single-arm longitudinal pilot study aiming to evaluate the safety, feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of TaiChi4Joint, a remotely delivered 12-week tai chi intervention designed to relieve AI-induced joint pain.
Methods:
Women diagnosed with stage 0-III breast cancer who received an AI for at least 2 months and reported arthralgia with a ≥4 score on a 0 to 10 scale for joint pain were eligible for study enrollment. Participants were encouraged to join tai chi classes delivered over Zoom three times a week for 12 weeks. Program engagement strategies included using a private Facebook study group and a Box cloud for archiving live class recordings. The program uses SMS text messaging and emails with periodic positive quotes and evidence-based information on tai chi for facilitating community bonding and class attendance. Participants were invited to complete the following assessments at baseline and at 1-, 2-, and 3-month intervals from study enrollment: Brief Pain Inventory, Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), The Australian Canadian Osteoarthritis Hand Index (AUSCAN), Fatigue Symptom Inventory, Hot Flash Related Daily Interference Scale (HFRDIS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D).
Results:
A total of 55 eligible patients were invited to participate, and 39 (71%) consented and completed the baseline assessments. Participants attended 61% (median) of the suggested classes, with no tai chi-related adverse events reported. Of the 39 participants, 22 completed the 3-month follow-up assessment with a 56% retention rate. Study participants reported improvement from baseline compared to 3 months as follows (paired t test): Brief Pain Inventory (P<.001), AUSCAN pain subscale (P=.007), AUSCAN function subscale (P=.004), Fatigue Symptom Inventory (P=.004) and PSQI (P<.001), and HFRDIS (P=.02) and CES-D (P<.001). In particular, for our primary end point of interest, improvements in hip and knee symptoms, measured by WOMAC's three subscales, were clinically meaningful and statistically significant when adjusted for multiple comparisons from baseline to 3 months post intervention.
Conclusions:
The COVID-19 global pandemic has resulted in the need to rethink how mind-body therapies can be delivered. This study demonstrated the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a telehealth-based tai chi intervention for reducing AI-induced arthralgia. The intervention decreased patient-reported pain and stiffness, and improved sleep quality and depressive symptoms. Fully powered, large, telehealth-based tai chi trials for AI-associated arthralgia are needed considering our promising findings.
Trial registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04716920; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04716920.
... Baduanjin and Tai Chi also challenge age-related memory loss (Tao et al., 2017). Tai Chi has gained significant international recognition as a means of promoting health (e.g., body strength, balance, and mood) of older adults with a sedentary lifestyle (Qi et al., 2019and cancer survivors (Rebecca et al., 2013). Researchers have also examined the health benefits of older adults practising Baduanjin, including walking ability (Wu et al., 2019), pain (Sun, Ma, et al., 2021), and QoL (Li, 2017). ...
This study performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the health effects of Baduanjin exercise on adults aged 65 years and older. Chinese and English databases were electronically searched using search terms related to the PICO model from inception through June 2021. The study quality assessment and meta-analysis were conducted using the PEDro scale and RevMan 5.4 software. Eleven included Chinese studies, published between 2015 and 2021, recruited participants from the mainland of China. The aggregated results showed significant benefits of Baduanjin on physical function, walking ability, balance, and anxiety. A long-term Baduanjin intervention could also improve quality of life and reduce falls and pain. Baduanjin appears to have the potential to improve the health of older adults, but conclusions are limited due to the lack of rigorous and robust studies within and outside of mainland China. Larger, well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.
... Ten studies [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46] provided detailed descriptions of the random sequence generation, such as computer-generated randomization lists, random number tables, and the remaining two studies [47,48] demonstrated unclear risk. Ten studies [38][39][40][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] reported using central randomness to meet allocation concealment methods standard; one of the remaining two studies used alternative allocation and the other demonstrated unclear risk. ...
... Ten studies [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46] provided detailed descriptions of the random sequence generation, such as computer-generated randomization lists, random number tables, and the remaining two studies [47,48] demonstrated unclear risk. Ten studies [38][39][40][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] reported using central randomness to meet allocation concealment methods standard; one of the remaining two studies used alternative allocation and the other demonstrated unclear risk. Eleven studies [37,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] were able to blind the IS due to the nature of the intervention studied. ...
... Ten studies [38][39][40][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] reported using central randomness to meet allocation concealment methods standard; one of the remaining two studies used alternative allocation and the other demonstrated unclear risk. Eleven studies [37,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] were able to blind the IS due to the nature of the intervention studied. They adopted the blinding of staff and participants; thus, performance bias may have been avoidable, and only one study [38] blinded assessors. ...
PurposeTo assess and summarize the effects of informational support on depression and quality of life of older patients with cancer.Methods
PubMed, MEDLINE, and Web of Science were searched to identify articles written in English and published until March 2021. Studies within 10 years period (2010–2021) were included. Randomized controlled trials were included if they evaluated the impact of informational support on depression and quality of life. All analyses were performed with Review Manager 5.3.ResultsTwelve studies with a total of 2374 participants met the inclusion criteria. Our primary outcomes included depression and quality of life. (1) Depression: results indicated no statistically significant difference and low heterogeneity [SMD = 0.28, 95% CI (− 0.24,0.80), p = 0.45; I2 = 0%], (2) Quality of life: in the subgroup analyses of EORTC QLQ-C30, results indicated a significant effect of informational support on quality of life [SMD = 2.84, 95% CI (0.63, 5.05), p = 0.03; I2 = 79%]; in the subgroup analyses of FACT and SF-36, there were no significance.Conclusions
Informational support could reduce depression and did improve the quality of life in older cancer patients with statistical significance. The findings suggested that informational support was an effective approach to improve depression and quality of life in older patients with cancer.
... Among the 26 studies, findings from 14 Tai Chi trials (13 RCTs and 1 NRCT) were reported (Figure 1), including six conducted in the United States, [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] six conducted in China [44][45][46][47][48][49][50] (one in Hong Kong special administrative region of China), [51][52][53] and one each conducted in Thailand 54 and Iran, 55 respectively. The sample sizes ranged from nine to 57 in each group. ...
... We summarized the study characteristics in Table S3. Seven trials were conducted in survivors of breast cancer, 30,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]54,55 three in lung cancer, 47-50 two in head & neck cancer, 46,51-53 one in prostate cancer, 31 and one in mixed cancer. 45 The disease stage varied from stage 0 to IV with different treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, and surgery. ...
... We summarized the intervention characteristics in Table S4. A variety of Tai Chi forms were used, including 24-form Yang style Tai Chi (n = 4), [45][46][47][48][49] adapted Yang style Tai Chi (n = 2), 31-37 8-form Tai Chi (n = 2), 30,44 18-form Tai Chi Qi Gong (n = 2), [51][52][53][54] Tai Chi Chih (n = 2), [38][39][40][41] Qigong/Tai Chi easy (n = 1), 42,43 and adapted 20-form Tai Chi (n = 1). 55 Despite the differences, Tai Chi is commonly described as a "mind-body" exercise that involves "physical exercise" (or "movement"), "breathing," and "meditation" (or "mindfulness"), hence a "meditative movement" (Table S4). ...
To manage acute, long‐term, and late effects of cancer, current guidelines recommend moderate‐to‐vigorous intensity aerobic and resistance exercise. Unfortunately, not all cancer survivors are able or willing to perform higher intensity exercise during difficult cancer treatments or because of other existing health conditions. Tai Chi is an equipment‐free, multicomponent mind–body exercise performed at light‐to‐moderate intensity that may provide a more feasible alternative to traditional exercise programs for some cancer survivors. This systematic review evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of Tai Chi across the cancer care continuum. We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, SCOPUS, and CINAHL databases for interventional studies from inception to 18 September 2020. Controlled trials of the effects of Tai Chi training on patient‐reported and objectively measured outcomes in cancer survivors were included. Study quality was determined by the RoB 2 tool, and effect estimates were evaluated using the Best Evidence Synthesis approach. Twenty‐six reports from 14 trials (one non‐randomized controlled trial) conducted during (n = 5) and after treatment (after surgery: n = 2; after other treatments: n = 7) were included. Low‐level evidence emerged to support the benefits of 40–60 min of thrice‐weekly supervised Tai Chi for 8–12 weeks to improve fatigue and sleep quality in cancer survivors. These findings need to be confirmed in larger trials and tested for scaling‐up potential. Insufficient evidence was available to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi on other cancer‐related outcomes. Future research should examine whether Tai Chi training can improve a broader range of cancer outcomes including during the pre‐treatment and end of life phases. Tai Chi training may improve fatigue and sleep quality in cancer survivors. Future research should examine a broader range of outcomes, particularly during difficult cancer treatments and for those with significant comorbidities.
... Out of these, 38 records progressed for full-text screening, and 21 of them were excluded from the study. Finally, 17 RCTs were included for further analysis [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57]. Figure 1 illustrates the study selection process. These studies included a total of 1103 cancer patients who were divided into control groups (n = 546) and treatment groups with martial arts (n = 557). ...
... Out of these, 38 records progresse screening, and 21 of them were excluded from the study. Finally, 17 RCTs for further analysis [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57]. Figure 1 illustrates the study selection process included a total of 1103 cancer patients who were divided into control gr and treatment groups with martial arts (n = 557). The mean age of the in patients was 58 ± 3.1 years. ...
... The Short-Form 36 (SF-36) was reported in three studies [41,45,52]. The combin SMD between martial art and control groups showed non-significant results regardi physical function (SMD = 0. 16 ...
Background:
To evaluate and synthesize the existing evidence of the effects of practicing martial arts by cancer patients and cancer survivors in relation to overall quality of life (QoL) and cancer-related fatigue (CRF).
Methods:
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from 1 January 2000 to 5 November 2020 investigating the impact of martial arts were compared with any control intervention for overall QoL and CRF among cancer patients and survivors. Publication quality and risk of bias were assessed using the Cochrane handbook of systematic reviews.
Results:
According to the electronic search, 17 RCTs were retrieved including 1103 cancer patients. Martial arts significantly improved social function, compared to that in the control group (SMD = -0.88, 95% CI: -1.36, -0.39; p = 0.0004). Moreover, martial arts significantly improved functioning, compared to the control group (SMD = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.39-0.96; p < 0.00001). Martial arts significantly reduced CRF, compared to that in the control group (SMD = -0.51, 95% CI: -0.80, -0.22; p = 0.0005, I2 > 95%).
Conclusions:
The results of our systematic review and meta-analysis reveal that the effects of practicing martial arts on CRF and QoL in cancer patients and survivors are inconclusive. Some potential effects were seen for social function and CRF, although the results were inconsistent across different measurement methods. There is a need for larger and more homogeneous clinical trials encompassing different cancer types and specific martial arts disciplines to make more extensive and definitive cancer- and symptom-specific recommendations.
... In addition, a 12-week, 4 times a week, 60-minute 8form Yang style Tai Chi training effectively alleviated physical fatigue and enhanced vitality among patients with lung cancer [99]. Another study showed that Tai Chi is a useful exercise for improving the physical and mental state of female patients with breast cancer [100]. ...
Objectives. This systematic review aims to summarize the existing literature on Tai Chi randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and recommend Tai Chi exercise prescriptions for different diseases and populations. Methods. A systematic search for Tai Chi RCTs was conducted in five electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, EBSCO, and Web of Science) from their inception to December 2019. SPSS 20.0 software and Microsoft Excel 2019 were used to analyze the data, and the risk of bias tool in the RevMan 5.3.5 software was used to evaluate the methodological quality of RCTs. Results. A total of 139 articles were identified, including diseased populations (95, 68.3%) and healthy populations (44, 31.7%). The diseased populations included the following 10 disease types: musculoskeletal system or connective tissue diseases (34.7%), circulatory system diseases (23.2%), mental and behavioral disorders (12.6%), nervous system diseases (11.6%), respiratory system diseases (6.3%), endocrine, nutritional or metabolic diseases (5.3%), neoplasms (3.2%), injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (1.1%), genitourinary system diseases (1.1%), and diseases of the eye and adnexa (1.1%). Tai Chi exercise prescription was generally classified as moderate intensity. The most commonly applied Tai Chi style was Yang style (92, 66.2%), and the most frequently specified Tai Chi form was simplified 24-form Tai Chi (43, 30.9%). 12 weeks and 24 weeks, 2-3 times a week, and 60 min each time was the most commonly used cycle, frequency, and time of exercise in Tai Chi exercise prescriptions. Conclusions. We recommend the more commonly used Tai Chi exercise prescriptions for different diseases and populations based on clinical evidence of Tai Chi. Further clinical research on Tai Chi should be combined with principles of exercise prescription to conduct large-sample epidemiological studies and long-term prospective follow-up studies to provide more substantive clinical evidence for Tai Chi exercise prescriptions.
1. Introduction
Chronic diseases cause a large burden of disease in the world and affect the quality of life of individuals [1, 2]. Furthermore, almost half of the global population suffers from at least one chronic disease and may be at risk of functional decline and disability [3, 4]. Exercise therapy is a safe way to improve physical function and reduce disability in patients with chronic diseases [5]. In the past few decades, exercise has been widely used in the treatment of chronic diseases, and experts have begun to adopt the terms “exercise prescription” and “exercise therapy” [5]. Exercise prescription mainly includes the type, frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise. It is a scientific, systematic, and individualized exercise intervention program for disease prevention and health promotion.
Tai Chi is a complementary and alternative therapy that has become a widespread exercise worldwide [6]. Over the past two decades, researchers have conducted extensive studies of the health-promoting effects of Tai Chi by focusing on various systems of the human body and their corresponding diseases. Studies have shown that Tai Chi is beneficial for patients with a wide range of diseases [7] and is a safe and effective way to promote balance control, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness in patients with chronic diseases [8]. Tai Chi has been widely used in the clinical practice of different diseases and people, and their positive effects have been confirmed, but there is no clear guidance on how to incorporate it into exercise prescriptions [9]. A study adopted an evaluation instrument to reveal the characteristics of Tai Chi exercise prescriptions for improving the balance ability of the elderly, but this study has not yet conducted studies on Tai Chi exercise prescriptions for different diseases and populations [10]. In addition, Tai Chi has been shown to be effective in treating diverse diseases, but such treatment effects are not consistent across studies, such as type 2 diabetes. [11–13]. This may be affected by the difference in Tai Chi style and exercise time in Tai Chi exercise prescriptions because a study has confirmed that different Tai Chi styles and exercise time can result in variable effectiveness [14].
A systematic review involves identifying a specific problem, systematically collecting relevant articles, determining which articles meet the predetermined inclusion criteria, evaluating previous reports, implementing rigorous scientific analysis, and forming a reliable comprehensive conclusion for reference in clinical application [15]. A systematic review is the basis of evidence-based medicine and is considered at the highest level of medical evidence [16]. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are generally considered to have the highest level of credibility and hence are considered the gold standard for evidence-based clinical practice [17]. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to summarize and analyze the effects of Tai Chi exercise prescriptions in Tai Chi RCTs, in order to recommend common Tai Chi exercise prescriptions for different diseases and individuals and provide a reference for the clinical application and experimental research on Tai Chi exercise prescription.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Search Strategy
Five electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, EBSCO, and Web of Science) were searched for relevant studies published up until December 2019. The search terms used for this systematic review included “Tai Chi,” “Tai Chi Chuan,” “T’ai Chi,” “Tai Ji,” “Taiji,” and “Tai Ji Quan.” The language was restricted to English. Taking a specific strategy as an example, the search terms in the PubMed database were as follows: ((((((Tai Chi [Title/Abstract]) OR (Tai Chi Chuan [Title/Abstract])) OR (T’ai Chi [Title/Abstract])) OR (Tai Ji[Title/Abstract])) OR (Taiji [Title/Abstract])) OR (Tai Ji Quan [Title/Abstract]) AND (humans[Filter])) AND ((randomized controlled trial[Publication Type] OR randomized[Title/Abstract] OR placebo[Title/Abstract]) AND (humans[Filter])).
2.2. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
This study strictly followed the PRISMA statement and the principle of PICOS (participants, intervention, control, outcomes, and study design) to formulate the criteria for literature retrieval, inclusion, screening, and exclusion [18].
2.2.1. Inclusion Criteria
Studies included in this review had to meet the following inclusion criteria: (1) the trial was a randomized control trial (RCT), either individual or cluster randomized; (2) any study participants were included, regardless of region, age, gender, and current health condition; (3) Tai Chi was the main intervention, without a limitation based on the type of Tai Chi prescribed; (4) the control group was nonexercise or the exercise was not Tai Chi; (5) outcome indicators were not restricted.
2.2.2. Exclusion Criteria
Studies were excluded if they met any of the following criteria: (1) irrelevant discussion or application of Tai Chi or interventions that lacked Tai Chi; (2) duplicate studies; (3) review, case report, meeting abstract, or monograph; (4) unclear outcome indicators; (5) no data or incomplete data; (6) not RCT.
2.3. Study Selection and Data Extraction
For this systematic review, two researchers independently read the titles, abstracts, and full text of research studies and conducted literature screening and data extraction according to the above inclusion and exclusion criteria. Disagreements were resolved either by consensus between the two researchers or by asking a third researcher to make a final decision. The following data were extracted: first author, publication year, study design, participants, intervention characteristics (i.e., type, duration, time, frequency), and outcome measures.
2.4. Quality Assessment
Based on the bias risk assessment tool recommended by the Cochrane Systematic Review Handbook (2011) [19], two researchers independently assessed the methodological quality and the bias risk of each included literature. The assessed items included the presence of random sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding, outcome assessors, incomplete outcome data, selective reporting, and the presence of other biases. Based on these criteria, the literature included was divided into the high risk of bias, low risk of bias, and unclear risk of bias categories. Disagreements between the two researchers were resolved by discussion with a third researcher.
2.5. Data Analysis
Due to the heterogeneity of the included studies, a meta-analysis was not conducted. We performed descriptive data analysis using SPSS 20.0 and Microsoft Excel 2019. Data were presented in terms of counts, percentage, and frequency.
3. Results
3.1. Selection of Studies
A total of 8529 articles were obtained according to the search strategy. These articles were imported into EndNote X9, and duplicates were eliminated. The remaining 6714 articles were then subject to the screening on the basis of the title and abstract, resulting in the exclusion of 5951 studies. The remaining 763 articles were further screened by reading the full-text article and 624 articles were excluded. Finally, this review included 139 qualitative studies (see Figure 1).
... First, it is recommended that people with chronic diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson disease, and breast cancer, learn t'ai chi or qigong to improve their quality of life. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Qigong can also improve cognitive function in the early stages of dementia, 12 whereas TCM decoctions can be used as adjuvant treatment for patients with stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic liver disease, chronic heart failure, and chronic or type 2 diabetic kidney disease. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Second, TCM can improve symptoms. ...
... Nevertheless, the remaining two studies conducted in 2013 proposed some different results. Campo et al. [37] employed a 12-week Tai Chi Chuan intervention (60 min per time for three times per week) on solid tumor cancer patients (83% breast cancer patients), and they reported that there is no difference on quality of life between TCE and control intervention. Robins et al. [38] also found no difference between groups and even compared to pre-intervention after 10-week Tai Chi Chuan intervention (90 min per week) on breast cancer patients. ...
... Campo et al. (2013) [37] 1. Quality of life. 1.Although mental score after TCE is higher than pre-intervention, there is no difference in quality of life between the two groups. ...
... Campo et al. (2013) [37] 1. Quality of life. 1.Although mental score after TCE is higher than pre-intervention, there is no difference in quality of life between the two groups. ...
Traditional Chinese exercise (TCE) has gradually become one of the widespread complementary therapies for treatment and recovery of cancers. However, evidence based on the systematic evaluation of its efficacy is lacking, and there appears to be no conclusion regarding the setting of TCE interventions. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the current randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that outline the effects of TCE on cancer patients. Relevant studies were searched by GOOGLE SCHOLAR, SCIENCEDIRECT, and WEB OF SCIENCE using "traditional Chinese exercise" and "cancer." Only RCTs published in peer-reviewed English journals were included. A total of 27 studies covering 1616 cancer patients satisfied the eligibility criteria for this review. Despite the methodological limitation and relatively high risk of bias possessed by some included studies, positive evidence was still detected on the effects of TCE on these cancer-related health outcomes in physical, psychological, and physiological parameters. The 60-min or 90-min course of TCE intervention for two to three times per week for 10 to 12 weeks was found to be the most common setting in these studies and has effectively benefited cancer patients. These findings add scientific support to encourage cancer patients to practice TCE during or after conventional medical treatment. Nevertheless, future well-designed RCTs with improved methodology and larger sample size on this field are much warranted for further verification.
