Table 1.
Summary of search terms.
Fig 1.
Flow chart of literature retrieval.
Table 2.
Descriptive characteristics of included studies.
Table 3.
Methodological quality assessment for included studies.
Fig 2.
Forest plot of the effect of AE on CRF.
Green squares indicate each study’s point estimate, with the size of the square proportionate to that study’s weight in the meta-analysis. Horizontal lines through each square represent the 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The diamond at the bottom depicts the pooled SMD and 95% CI. The solid vertical line at SMD = 0 represents no difference between groups. A random-effects model was employed to account for heterogeneity among the included studies. The test for the overall effect suggests a statistically significant reduction in CRF with AE compared to control. Abbreviations: AE, aerobic exercise; CRF, cancer-related fatigue; SMD, standardized mean difference; CI, confidence interval.
Table 4.
Subgroup analyses based on the primary meta-analysis.
Fig 3.
Forest plot of the effect of type of control group on CRF.
Green squares represent individual study effect estimates (SMDs), with the size of each square proportional to the study’s weight. Horizontal lines indicate 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Diamonds show pooled effect sizes for each subgroup and for the overall meta-analysis. The vertical line at SMD = 0 marks no difference between AE and the respective control. A random-effects model was used, accounting for heterogeneity. The test for overall effect suggests a statistically significant benefit of AE compared with control for reducing CRF. Abbreviations: AE, aerobic exercise; CRF, cancer-related fatigue; SMD, standardized mean difference; CI, confidence interval.
Fig 4.
Forest plot of the effect of AE intensity on CRF.
Green square denotes an individual study’s effect size (SMD), with the square’s size reflecting the study’s weight in the meta-analysis. Horizontal lines represent 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Diamonds show the pooled estimates for each subgroup (high or moderate intensity) and the overall effect across both subgroups. The vertical line at SMD = 0 corresponds to no difference in CRF between exercise and control groups. A random-effects model was used to account for heterogeneity. The overall effect size indicates a nonsignificant reduction in CRF favoring AE compared with control. Abbreviations: AE, aerobic exercise; CRF, cancer-related fatigue; SMD, standardized mean difference; CI, confidence interval.
Fig 5.
Forest plot of the effect of AE duration on CRF.
Green squares represent individual study effect estimates, with square size proportional to each study’s weight. Horizontal lines denote 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Diamonds display pooled effect estimates and CIs for each subgroup and for the overall analysis. The vertical line at SMD = 0 marks the point of no difference between AE and control. A random-effects model was used to account for heterogeneity. The overall effect size indicates a statistically significant reduction in CRF with AE compared to control. Abbreviations: AE, aerobic exercise; CRF, cancer-related fatigue; SMD, standardized mean difference; CI, confidence interval.
Fig 6.
Forest plot of the effect of AE time on CRF.
Green squares denote individual study estimates (SMDs), with the size of each square reflecting the study’s relative weight in the meta-analysis. Horizontal lines mark 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Diamonds display the pooled effect sizes for each subgroup and the overall analysis. The vertical line at SMD = 0 signifies no difference between AE and control. A random-effects model was used to account for heterogeneity. The overall pooled effect indicates a statistically significant reduction in CRF with AE. Abbreviations: AE, aerobic exercise; CRF, cancer-related fatigue; SMD, standardized mean difference; CI, confidence interval.
Fig 7.
Forest plot of the effect of AE frequency on CRF.
Green squares represent individual study SMDs, with square size reflecting each study’s weight in the meta-analysis. Horizontal lines show 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Diamonds represent pooled effect sizes for each frequency subgroup and for the overall analysis. The vertical line at SMD = 0 marks no difference between AE and control. A random-effects model was applied to account for heterogeneity. The overall pooled effect supports a beneficial impact of AE in reducing CRF. Abbreviations: AE, aerobic exercise; CRF, cancer-related fatigue; SMD, standardized mean difference; CI, confidence interval.