Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37022641›Full record

SynthesisJournal of cancer survivorship : research and practice2024

Recruitment rates and strategies in exercise trials in cancer survivorship: a systematic review.

Sophie A Reynolds, Louise O'Connor, Anna McGee, Anna Quinn Kilcoyne, Archie Connolly, David Mockler, Emer Guinan, Linda O'Neill

Erratum issuedOpen access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 39 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
10.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

39 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.

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  9. Evaluating recruitment, retention, and adherence patterns in the GET FIT fall prevention exercise trial in older, postmenopausal cancer survivors.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
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  20. Acute cancer-related fatigue response following exercise during an outpatient cancer rehabilitation program.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Sophie A ReynoldsSchool of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Louise O'ConnorTrinity St James's Cancer Institute, Dublin, Ireland.
Anna McGeeSchool of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Anna Quinn KilcoyneSchool of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Archie ConnollySchool of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
David MocklerJohn Stearne Library, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Emer GuinanSchool of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Linda O'NeillTrinity St James's Cancer Institute, Dublin, Ireland. oneilll8@tcd.ie.
Trinity College Dublin · IESt. James's Hospital · IE

Funding

Health Research Board Health Research Board Trials Methodology Research Network Summer Studentship 2020Health Research Board HRB-DIFA-2018-009
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeDespite clear evidence-based supporting a benefit to exercise on physical and psychological metrics in patients with cancer, recruitment to exercise trials amongst cancer survivors is suboptimal. We explore current recruitment rates, strategies, and common barriers to participation in exercise oncology trials in cancer survivorship.

methodsA systematic review was conducted using a pre-defined search strategy in EMBASE, CINAHL, Medline, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. The search was performed up to 28/02/2022. Screening of titles and abstracts, full-text review, and data extraction was completed in duplicate.

resultsOf the 3204 identified studies, 87 papers corresponding to 86 trials were included. Recruitment rates were highly variable with a median rate of 38% (range 0.52-100%). Trials recruiting prostate cancer patients only had the highest median recruitment rate (45.9%) vs trials recruiting colorectal cancer patients only which had the lowest (31.25%). Active recruitment strategies such as direct recruitment via a healthcare professional were associated with higher recruitment rates (rho = 0.201, p = 0.064). Common reasons for non-participation included lack of interest (46.51%, n (number of studies) = 40); distance and transport (45.3%, n = 39); and failure to contact (44.2%, n = 38).

conclusionsRecruitment of cancer survivors to exercise interventions is suboptimal with barriers being predominantly patient-oriented. This paper provides the benchmark for current recruitment rates to exercise oncology trials, providing data for trialists planning future trial design and implementation, optimise future recruitment strategies, and evaluate their own recruitment success against current practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Enhanced recruitment to cancer survivorship exercise trials is necessary in facilitating the publication of definitive exercise guidelines, generalisable to varying cancer cohorts. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020185968.

Indexed as

Cancer SurvivorsExercise TherapyNeoplasmsPatient SelectionSurvivorshipClinical Trials as TopicExerciseHumansCancer survivorsExerciseRecruitment rateRecruitment strategies

Identifiers

PMID37022641
PMCPMC11324688
OpenAlexW4362656973

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.