Aerobic Exercise Cuts Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A six-month aerobic exercise intervention significantly improves self-reported chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) among patients treated for ovarian cancer, according to a study published online Aug. 1 in JAMA Network Open.

Anlan Cao, M.B.B.S., from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues evaluated the effect of a six-month aerobic exercise intervention on CIPN among women treated for ovarian cancer. The analysis included 134 participants in the Women's Activity and Lifestyle Study in Connecticut (65 controls).

The researchers found that at six months, the self-reported CIPN score was 1.3 points lower in the exercise intervention arm (95 percent confidence interval, −2.3 to −0.2) versus an increase of 0.4 points in the attention control arm (95 percent confidence interval, −0.8 to 1.5). The between-group difference was −1.6 points (95 percent confidence interval, −3.1 to −0.2). Among participants with CIPN symptoms at baseline, the point estimate was larger (−2.0; 95 percent confidence interval, −3.6 to −0.5).

"While replication of the findings in other studies is warranted, incorporating referrals to exercise programs into standard oncology care could reduce CIPN symptoms and increase quality of life in patients with ovarian cancer," the authors write.

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