Moderators of the effects of group-based physical exercise on cancer survivors’ quality of life

In order to further improve and enabling more personal tailoring of exercise programs for cancer survivors, better insight in for whom such exercise programs work best. In a study just published online in Supportive Care in Cancer, -with Joeri Kalter as first authors- we explored demographic, clinical, and psychological moderators of the effect of a group-based physical exercise intervention on global quality of life (QoL) among cancer survivors who completed treatment.
he physical exercise intervention effect on global QoL was larger for cancer survivors who received radiotherapy than for cancer survivors who did not receive radiotherapy, larger for cancer survivors who received a combination of chemoradiotherapy than for those who did not receive this combination of treatments, and larger for cancer survivors with higher baseline levels of fatigue than for those with lower levels. No other moderating effects were found.
Conclusions This study suggests that cancer treatment modality and baseline fatigue levels moderate the effect of a physical exercise program on cancer survivors’ global quality of life.