Home-based exercise interventions incorporating cardiac rehabilitation principles for people with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Authors

Petr Winnige, Filip Dosbaba, Martin Hartman, Garyfallia Pepera, Varsamo Antoniou, Eleni Karagianni, Francesco Perone, Rose Lin, Jing Jing Su, Ladislav Batalik

Published in

Annals of medicine. Volume 58. Issue 1. Pages 2726615. Epub Sep 29, 2026.

Abstract

People with cancer are at increased cardiovascular risk due to treatment-related cardiotoxicity and shared risk factors. Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (exCR) may mitigate these risks, but access to center-based programs is limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness, safety, and adherence of home-based exCR in oncology populations.
Six databases were searched in January 2025 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of home-based exCR in adults with cancer. Eligible interventions included structured aerobic and/or resistance exercise consistent with established CR guidelines. Primary outcomes were cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), adherence, and safety. Random-effects meta-analyses used standardized mean differences (SMDs).
Nine RCTs (632 participants) were included. Home-based exCR improved CRF (SMD 0.42; 95% CI 0.09-0.75; I²=62%) and HRQoL (SMD 0.63; 95% CI 0.05-1.22; I²=84%). TESTEX scores indicated generally good methodological and reporting quality (mean 10/15; range 7-13). Adherence exceeded 75% in most studies reporting this outcome, and dropout was 15.2%. Adverse-event reporting was inconsistent; no clear safety signal emerged, but evidence was insufficient for firm conclusions. Strength and fatigue findings were inconsistent.
Home-based exCR appears feasible and may improve CRF and HRQoL in people with cancer, offering an accessible alternative or complement to center-based rehabilitation. Incomplete adverse-event reporting limits safety conclusions. Future studies should evaluate full, multi-component CR models in oncology.

PMID:
42811812
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Sep 2026.

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