Aerobic Exercise May Reduce Depression Among Patients with Cancer

Among patients with cancer, exercise has been found to have some benefit for mental health, with study results showing that aerobic physical activity resulted in modest short-term and long-term reductions of depression.

“[Aerobic physical activity] was associated with a small but statistically significant reduction of depressive symptoms among adults with cancer, providing more robust evidence to support the existing recommendation of promoting [aerobic physical activity] in this context,” researchers concluded in a study published in JAMA Network Open. “More research is warranted to ascertain the efficacy of [aerobic physical activity] compared with other established effective interventions for depression and in combination with other established effective interventions for reducing depression in patients with cancer.”

Researchers analyzed data from previously conducted clinical trials, of which findings were published between Jan. 1, 1980, and July 5, 2023, ultimately drawing on the data of 1,931 adults with cancer from 25 randomized clinical trials. Of note, a randomized clinical trial is a study during which patients are split into different groups to compare different treatments or interventions

Aerobic physical activity intervention in this review included cardiorespiratory or aerobic exercise such as cycling, running, jogging, walking, stationary bike use, elliptical use or aerobics that were, as researchers explained, “characterized by regular, rhythmic, continuous and purposeful exercise involving the major muscle groups, with no restrictions on intensity, frequency or duration.”

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The main outcome that researchers assessed throughout this analysis was the severity of self-reported depression reported within one month of the end of the exercise intervention, which was considered short-term depression. Other areas of interest included the severity of self-reported depression between one and six months after the intervention (medium-term depression) and between six and 12 months after the intervention was completed (long-term depression).

Aerobic exercise, the researchers reported, was associated with lower self-reported depression across all 25 trials. The decrease in depression scores was also evident in long-term depression in three trials with a total of 299 participants, but not in medium-term depression scores in two trials with a total of 143 participants.

Looking ahead, researchers advised that future studies should investigate how preexisting diagnoses of depression and more granular cancer treatment-related factors may modify aerobic physical activity’s impact on symptoms of depression.

“The findings of this review suggest that prioritizing trials among understudied populations, such as children with cancer and those with metastatic disease, is crucial for a more comprehensive understanding of the potential benefits of [aerobic physical activity] for depression in these populations,” researchers noted.

Association Between Depression and Cancer

Receiving a diagnosis of cancer, researchers reported, is associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression and emotional distress, with depression affecting 13% to 27% of patients with cancer, approximately twice or three times as high as depression’s prevalence in the general population. Depression is then, in turn, reported to be associated with prolonged hospital stays, increased levels of physical and emotional distress, increased suicide risk, poor treatment adherence, increased mortality and quality-of-life impairments.

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The American Society of Clinical Oncology, researchers reported, recommends structured physical activity as one of the potential psychological interventions for managing depression among patients with cancer. Likewise, the American Cancer Society lists strategies such as practicing yoga and taking a walk outside as potential means of coping with depression.

Reference

“Aerobic Physical Activity and Depression Among Patients With Cancer A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” by Dr. Matthew Kulchycki et al., JAMA Network Open.

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