SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2023
Therapeutic validity and effectiveness of exercise interventions after lower limb-salvage surgery for sarcoma: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 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
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of outdoor fitness equipment intervention on health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Using eHealth to Support Quality of Life and Well-Being in Patients With Lung Cancer: Systematic Review.JMIR cancer · 2025Pooled it
- Prehabilitation for Limb Salvage Surgery: A Practical and Evidence-based Guide.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Physical Activity and Nutritional Supportive Care Needs Following a Sarcoma Diagnosis: Barriers and Opportunities for Rare Cancer Survivorship Care.Psycho-oncology · 2026Article
- Influence of patients' health beliefs on rehabilitation exercise adherence after knee replacement: the mediating role of exercise psychological needs satisfaction.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The functional recovery trajectory in patients undergoing lower limb salvage surgery for bone tumour: an observational study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Observational
- A Multicomponent Training Program Improves Physical Function and Quality of Life for a Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma Survivor Subjected to Internal Hemipelvectomy: A Case Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Factors influencing imaging and functional recovery outcomes after limb-salvage surgery in patients with bone tumors: a retrospective case-control study.American journal of cancer research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAn increasing number of patients are surviving sarcoma after lower limb-salvage surgery (LSS) and are left with functional limitations. This systematic review aimed to determine the therapeutic validity and effectiveness of exercise interventions after lower limb-salvage surgery (LSS) for sarcoma.
methodsA systematic review was conducted using formal narrative synthesis of intervention studies (with and without control group) identified through PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PEDro databases. Studies were included if participants were treated with LSS for unilateral lower limb sarcoma and followed an exercise intervention using active exercise, physical training, or rehabilitation before and/or after surgery. This review's outcome measures were interventions' therapeutic validity, assessed using the CONTENT scale (0 to 9); methodological quality, identified using the Downs & Black checklist (0 to 28); interventions' effectiveness, assessed based on differences in outcome measures between intervention and control groups; and certainty of evidence, classified according to the GRADE approach.
resultsSeven studies involving 214 participants were included. None of the included interventions were therapeutically valid (median 5, range 1-5). All but one study were of at least fair methodological quality (median 18, range 14-21). There was very low-quality evidence that exercise interventions resulted in increased knee range of motion (MD 10-15°) or compliance (MD 30%), and reduced functionality scores (MD -5%) compared to usual care.
conclusionsWe found overall low therapeutic validity of interventions, performed in overall low-quality studies. Combined with the very low certainty of evidence, the results prevent drawing valid conclusions on the interventions' effectiveness. Future studies should aim for uniformity among their methodological approaches and outcome measures, using the CONTENT scale as a template to avert insufficient reporting.
trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42021244635.
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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.