Problem Identification
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) can cause treatment delays or discontinuation. Exercise can improve CIPN, but the effects have been inconsistent.
Literature Search
12 databases and 5 websites were searched from database inception to December 22, 2023, for primary studies that were reported in English and examined the effects of exercise on CIPN in cancer survivors.
Data Evaluation
20 studies (N = 1,308 total participants) were identified and reviewed.
Synthesis
Using a random-effects model, exercise slightly improved symptoms of CIPN (Hedges's g = 0.28, Hartung-Knapp adjusted 95% confidence interval [0.12, 0.45], p = 0.002). The 95% prediction interval showed that the true effect size of future studies would likely range from -0.1 to 0.66. Frequency of performing exercise moderated the effect size, further improving symptoms.
Implications For Nursing
Nurses can encourage cancer survivors to engage in exercise, such as resistance training, aerobic exercise, balance training, and/or yoga. Nurses can refer cancer survivors to trained exercise specialists or provide information about finding a community exercise program for patients with cancer.