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Individualisation of Exercise Prescription in Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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Title: Individualisation of Exercise Prescription in Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Cunningham, B, Chong, JE, Fairman, CM, Jones, MD, Skinner, TL, Rose, GL
Source: urn:ISSN:2199-1170 ; urn:ISSN:2198-9761 ; Sports Medicine Open, 12, 1, 15
Publisher Information: Springer Nature
Publication Year: 2026
Collection: UNSW Sydney (The University of New South Wales): UNSWorks
Subject Terms: 4203 Health Services and Systems, 32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 4205 Nursing, 42 Health Sciences, Cancer, Physical Activity, Prevention, 6.7 Physical, 3 Good Health and Well Being, anzsrc-for: 4203 Health Services and Systems, anzsrc-for: 32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, anzsrc-for: 4205 Nursing, anzsrc-for: 42 Health Sciences
Description: Background: The importance of prescribing individualised exercise programs for all people with cancer has been echoed across the literature. However, there is a notable gap in our understanding of how exercise individualisation is applied in oncology research, what the common individualisation practises of exercise prescription for people with cancer are, and the effects of these practises on common symptoms such as fatigue. Objectives: The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to elucidate the individualisation prescription methods employed in exercise oncology research, determine whether current studies employ best-practice autoregulatory prescription for people with and following treatment for cancer, and conduct subgroup analyses to determine the influence of exercise individualisation methodology on fatigue severity. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases. Studies written in English stating they prescribed any form of ‘individualised’ exercise for people ≥ 18 years with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of cancer were included in this review. Pooled meta-analysis and subgroup meta-analysis were performed using a random-effects model. Results: Sixty-three studies involving 4472 participants were included. The rationale underpinning why exercise was individualised was predominantly based on objective reasons (41%). Most commonly, exercise was individualised pre-session, and inter-session (25%) via modulation of the exercise prescription, whereby exercise prescriptions were adapted in various heterogenous ways (22%). Autoregulation was only explicitly reported in two (3%) studies. Individualising exercise using subjective reasoning was significantly associated with reduced fatigue severity (SMD = – 0.355, 95% CI – 0.631 to – 0.079; p = 0.0116). Timing exercise individualisation inter-session had a moderate and significant pooled effect on reducing fatigue severity (SMD = – 0.616, 95% CI – 0.962 to – 0.271; p = 0.0005). ...
Document Type: article in journal/newspaper
File Description: application/pdf
Language: unknown
Relation: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/107131
DOI: 10.1186/s40798-026-00980-8
Availability: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/107131
https://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/bitstreams/075dadba-2dc6-4313-a57c-6cd3bc013692/download
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-026-00980-8
Rights: open access ; https://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 ; CC BY-NC-ND ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ; free_to_read
Accession Number: edsbas.420C7178
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cunningham%2C+B%22">Cunningham, B</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chong%2C+JE%22">Chong, JE</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fairman%2C+CM%22">Fairman, CM</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jones%2C+MD%22">Jones, MD</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Skinner%2C+TL%22">Skinner, TL</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rose%2C+GL%22">Rose, GL</searchLink>
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  Data: urn:ISSN:2199-1170 ; urn:ISSN:2198-9761 ; Sports Medicine Open, 12, 1, 15
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: UNSW Sydney (The University of New South Wales): UNSWorks
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  Data: Background: The importance of prescribing individualised exercise programs for all people with cancer has been echoed across the literature. However, there is a notable gap in our understanding of how exercise individualisation is applied in oncology research, what the common individualisation practises of exercise prescription for people with cancer are, and the effects of these practises on common symptoms such as fatigue. Objectives: The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to elucidate the individualisation prescription methods employed in exercise oncology research, determine whether current studies employ best-practice autoregulatory prescription for people with and following treatment for cancer, and conduct subgroup analyses to determine the influence of exercise individualisation methodology on fatigue severity. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases. Studies written in English stating they prescribed any form of ‘individualised’ exercise for people ≥ 18 years with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of cancer were included in this review. Pooled meta-analysis and subgroup meta-analysis were performed using a random-effects model. Results: Sixty-three studies involving 4472 participants were included. The rationale underpinning why exercise was individualised was predominantly based on objective reasons (41%). Most commonly, exercise was individualised pre-session, and inter-session (25%) via modulation of the exercise prescription, whereby exercise prescriptions were adapted in various heterogenous ways (22%). Autoregulation was only explicitly reported in two (3%) studies. Individualising exercise using subjective reasoning was significantly associated with reduced fatigue severity (SMD = – 0.355, 95% CI – 0.631 to – 0.079; p = 0.0116). Timing exercise individualisation inter-session had a moderate and significant pooled effect on reducing fatigue severity (SMD = – 0.616, 95% CI – 0.962 to – 0.271; p = 0.0005). ...
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