Effectiveness of behavioral techniques and physical exercise on psychosocial functioning and health-related quality of life in breast cancer pateints and survivors: a meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the effect of behavioral techniques and physical exercise on psychosocial functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes in breast cancer patients and survivors. Methods: A meta-analysis was carried out to quantify the effects of behavioral and exercise interventions on fatigue, depression, anxiety, body-image, stress and HRQoL. Summary effect sizes and standard errors were calculated. The presence of publication bias was explored and sensitivity analyses were performed to identify possible sources of heterogeneity. Results: In total, 56 studies were included. Statistically significant results were found for the effect of behavioral techniques on fatigue (ES −0.158; 95% CI −0.233 to −0.082, p<0.001), depression (ES −0.336; 95% CI −0.482 to −0.190, p<0.001), anxiety (ES −0.346; 95% CI −0.538 to −0.154, p