Exercise as a Fatigue Intervention for Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Treatment

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common side effect reported by cancer patients. Because of its impact on the daily lives of patients, its management and assessment are important to include in the plan of care. The purpose of this literature review is to examine the effects of exercise and its characteristics on CRF in breast cancer patients currently receiving treatment. A systematic search of the literature using exercise as an intervention was conducted in the fall of 2013. Databases searched were PubMed, CINAHL, PSYCHINFO, Web of Science, Journal of Cancer Nursing, and ScienceDirect. The exercise interventions were evaluated according to the length of session, length of the intervention, type of exercise, intensity of exercise, frequency per week, and location of exercise. Fourteen studies were included in this literature review, 11 of which found a significant reduction in fatigue in the exercise group when compared to the control group. Aerobic exercise was used in 12 of the studies either alone or in combination with resistance exercise. The studies included home-based and/or supervised exercise. On average, the studies reported an exercise session of 31.5 minutes 3.8 times per week at various intensity levels. This review concluded that aerobic exercise, with or without resistance training, is a common characteristic of studies that found a significant reduction in fatigue following exercise in women being treated for breast cancer. Exercise can be a safe and cost-effective non-pharmacologic therapy to manage cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving treatment.Bachelor of Scienc