The effects of physical self-management on quality of life in breast cancer patients: A systematic review

- Self-management after BCT can be performed by different physical activity protocols.
- During BCT self-management by physical activities limit or slow down the decrease in QoL.
- After BCT self-management by physical activities increases QoL.

The aim of this systematic review is to report on the effects of different physical self-management techniques on quality of life (QoL) of patients with breast cancer. Therefore a systematic literature search was performed using four different databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of science). The inclusion criteria were: 1) adults >18 y, 2) patients with breast cancer, 3) physical self-management techniques during or after initial treatment, 4) outcome measure needed to be an indicator of patients' quality of life 5), Randomized Controlled Trials of all ages. The methodological quality of the selected articles was assessed. The results concerning quality of life outcomes were extracted. A total of 13 RCT's, representing 2180 participants were included. Different self-management techniques were identified such as a booklet, brochure, multimedia and recommendations. Disregarding the type of intervention, most studies found a positive effect of physical activity on QoL outcomes such as fatigue, physical functioning, emotional and/or social wellbeing. The results of the interventions during or after primary treatment of breast cancer are discussed separately. Studies that started their intervention during primary treatment found an improvement in QoL or a slower decrease in QoL. Studies that started the intervention after primary treatment found an increase in QoL. In conclusion, physical self-management interventions during breast cancer treatment as well as after the primary treatment seem to generate beneficial effects on QoL.