Trial reportAge and ageing2025
The effect of qigong on frailty in older cancer survivors: a randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in Age and ageing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 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
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of 2 Rehabilitation Protocols on Pulmonary Function in Lung Cancer Patients After Thoracoscopic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Baduanjin Versus Bedside Cycle Ergometer Training.European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery · 2026Trial
- Association between oral health and frailty among older cancer patients: a cross-sectional study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Improvement of psychological adjustment and pain reduction in fibromyalgia after a qigong training program.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 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
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFrailty predicts increased cancer recurrence and mortality among older cancer survivors. Qigong has been shown to improve physical and mental well-being, as well as inflammation, which are closely linked with frailty in the cancer population.
objectiveThis study aims to evaluate the effect of qigong on frailty among older cancer survivors.
designAn assessor-blind multi-centre randomised controlled trial.
methodsPost-treatment cancer survivors aged 65+ screened as pre-frail or frail based on the Fried frailty phenotype were recruited and randomised to an intervention (16-week qigong Baduanjin) or an active control group (16-week light flexibility exercise). The primary outcome was the reversal of frailty status. The secondary outcomes included physical frailty severity, multidimensional frailty severity, physical performance, psychological well-being and quality of life. Analysis was based on the intention-to-treat principle.
resultsTwo hundred twenty-six older cancer survivors were randomised, 113 to the qigong group and 113 to the light flexibility exercise group. At 16 weeks, the difference in the rates of frailty reversal in the qigong group (28.7%) and the light flexibility exercise group (22.5%) was insignificant (adjusted odds ratio = 1.39, 95% CI, 0.65 to 2.95). While both groups had significant improvement in physical frailty severity, physical performance, psychological well-being and quality of life, only the qigong group had significant improvement in multidimensional frailty severity. The group × time interaction was not significant.
conclusionQigong was not superior to an active control in its effect on improving frailty in older cancer survivors. Researchers should include routine care as control and examine the underlying mechanisms driving the change in frailty.
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.