SynthesisSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2023
Effect of exercise across the head and neck cancer continuum: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
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
23 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of progressive resistance training on lean soft tissue mass in head and neck cancer patients during concomitant chemoradiotherapy: the DAHANCA 31 randomized controlled trial.Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden) · 2026Trial
- Head and neck cancer rehabilitation: the CaRe feasibility study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Effect of Structured Exercise-based rehabilitation on Sarcopenia and Quality of life among Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemo-radiotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2025Trial
- Feasibility of a comprehensive supervised exercise program during and after treatment of head and neck cancer: a mixed-methods study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Trial
- Article
- Prehabilitation in Head and Neck Surgery and Reconstruction.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Machine learning for predicting muscle loss after radiotherapy using clinical and toxicity data in oral cavity cancer.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- Review
- Longitudinal changes in cognition, sleep, and psychological distress following the MORE program in head and neck cancer patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Cancer and Treatment-Related Conditions and Their Implications for Exercise in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: A Narrative Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Predictors of aspiration pneumonia in oral cavity cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy: A focus on skeletal muscle index.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- The role of nutritional status and sarcopenia in treatment tolerance and toxicity in head and neck cancer: a narrative review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Identifying threshold of CT-defined muscle loss after radiotherapy for survival in oral cavity cancer using machine learning.European radiology · 2025Article
- Nutrition in head and neck cancer care: a roadmap and call for research.The Lancet. Oncology · 2025Review
- Beyond Genetics: Exploring Lifestyle, Microbiome, and Social Determinants in Oral Cancer Development.Cancers · 2025Review
- ACTivity as medicine In Oncology for Head and Neck (ACTIOHN): a feasibility study investigating a patient-centred approach to exercise for head and neck cancer patients.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Article
- Individualized home training in head and neck cancer patients is safe and has positive short- and medium-term effects -results of a multicenter, single-arm intervention trial (OSHO #94).Frontiers in oncology · 2025Article
- The Potential of Oncolytic Virotherapy in the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer: A Comprehensive Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study aims to systematically explore the impact of physical exercise as supportive therapy for head and neck cancer.
methodsA systematic search on PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane, and SPORTDiscus was conducted. Randomized controlled trials exploring the effects of a physical exercise intervention in comparison with usual care on outcomes in patients with head and neck cancer were selected. The RoB 2 tool was used to determine the study quality. The extracted data are reported as qualitative synthesis.
resultsAmong the 527 records examined, nine studies were included. No trials investigating exercise as prehabilitation were found, whereas eight studies involving 452 patients with head and neck cancer were conducted during anticancer treatment. Most trials did not report improvements in body mass index or body composition, while 2/4 and 3/5 investigations found a significant increase in muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness, respectively. Regarding the patients' reported outcomes, 4 out of 7 studies observed enhancements in some domains of quality of life, and two trials out of 3 detected an amelioration in fatigue following the exercise intervention. Analyzing the exercise programs, it seems that combining aerobic and resistance training could be more beneficial compared to a single type of full-body exercise in counteracting physical decline and controlling symptoms in the anticancer therapy phase. One trial has investigated the effect of resistance exercise on patients who had terminated the anticancer treatments, reporting significant improvements in lean mass, muscle strength, and quality of life.
conclusionExercise may be a promising approach in patients with head and neck cancer. Future studies are needed to consolidate these results.
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.