Brain, behavior, and immunity
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Brain Behav. Immun. · Oct 2019
Review Meta AnalysisExercise training, circulating cytokine levels and immune function in cancer survivors: A meta-analysis.
Anti-cancer therapies lead to chronic non-resolving inflammation and reduced immune function. One potential therapy is exercise training, but the effectiveness of these interventions to improve immune-related outcomes, the gaps in the literature, and recommendations to progress the field need to be determined. ⋯ Exercise training reduces pro-inflammatory markers in cancer survivors, with the strongest evidence for combined training and for prostate and breast cancer survivors. Further research is warranted to determine if these changes are clinically relevant or are associated with improvements in symptoms. To strengthen future research, focusing on novel immune populations that include functional parameters and standardized reporting of key immune outcomes is recommended.