SynthesisBMC medical research methodology2019
Analysis of reporting completeness in exercise cancer trials: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC medical research methodology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Retention rates and reasons for non-retention in exercise oncology trials in the post-treatment phase-a systematic review.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2025Pooled it
- Dissemination planning in exercise oncology trials-a systematic review of trial protocols.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Pooled it
- Most physical interventions for musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents cannot be reproduced in clinical practice: a meta-research study of randomized clinical trials.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Physical activity interventions using behaviour change theories for women with breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2022Pooled it
- The Effect of Resistance Training on Body Composition During and After Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2021Pooled it
- Attention to principles of exercise training: an updated systematic review of randomized controlled trials in cancers other than breast and prostate.BMC cancer · 2021Pooled it
- Comparing the reporting and conduct quality of exercise and pharmacological randomised controlled trials: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of Multicomponent Versus Aerobic Training on Body Composition, Physical Fitness, Psychological Health, and Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors: A 24-Week Randomized Controlled Trial.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exercise Interventions to Address Sarcopenia in People with Multiple Myeloma: A Scoping Review.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Poor consideration of tissue loading in randomised trials of MSC interventions for tendon pathology: A systematic review using the TIDieR framework.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2025Review
- Exercise therapy: an effective approach to mitigate the risk of cancer metastasis.World journal of surgical oncology · 2025Review
- Exploring the role of adipokines in exercise-induced inhibition of tumor growth.Sports medicine and health science · 2025Article
- Aerobic Versus Resistance Exercise for Overweight: Is there a Difference in Reporting Quality?Sports medicine international open · 2025Review
- Several methods for assessing research waste in reviews with a systematic search: a scoping review.PeerJ · 2024Article
- Incomplete reporting of manual therapy interventions and a lack of clinician and setting diversity in clinical trials for neck pain limits replication and real-world translation. A scoping review.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2023Article
- Reducing research wastage by starting off on the right foot: optimally framing the research question.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2022Article
- TIDieR-telehealth: precision in reporting of telehealth interventions used in clinical trials - unique considerations for the Template for the Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist.BMC medical research methodology · 2022Article
- Research Quality and Impact of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JACC. CardioOncology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundExercise is an effective therapeutic intervention for cancer survivors. Concerns about the completeness of reporting of exercise interventions have been raised in the literature, but without any formal analysis. This study aimed to evaluate the completeness of reporting of exercise interventions for cancer survivors in a large sample of randomized clinical trials (RCTs).
methodsWe developed a pre-defined protocol. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL for exercise trials in oncology between 2010 and 2017. Pairs of independent researchers screened the records, extracted study characteristics, and assessed 16 items on the TIDieR checklist (i.e., the 12 items, with item 5 divided into two and item 8 divided into four). For each of these items, the percentage of interventions in the included studies that reported the item was calculated.
resultsWe included 131 RCTs reporting 138 interventions in the analysis. Breast cancer was the most common type of cancer (69, 50%), and aerobic exercise was the most studied exercise modality (43, 30%) followed by combined aerobic and resistance training (40, 28%). Completeness of reporting ranged from 42 to 96% among the TIDieR items; none of the items was fully reported. 'Intervention length' was the most reported item across interventions (133, 96%), followed by 'rationale' (131, 95%), whereas 'provider' (58, 42%) and 'how well (planned)' (63, 46%) were the two least reported items. Half of the TIDieR items were completely reported in 50 to 70% of the interventions, and only four items were reported in more than 80% of the interventions (Items 2 and 8a to c). The seven items deemed to be core for replication (Items 3 to 9) exhibited a mean reporting of 71%, ranging from 42 to 96%.
conclusionExercise training interventions for cancer survivors are incompletely reported across RCTs published between 2010 and 2017. The reporting of information about the provider, materials, and modifications require urgent improvements. Stronger reporting will enhance usability of trial reports by both healthcare providers and survivors, and will help to reduce research waste.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.