Impact of Various Exercise Modalities on Depression and Anxiety Among Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

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A systematic review analyzed 94 RCTs involving 7,668 cancer survivors to evaluate exercise's impact on depression and anxiety.
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Mind-body exercises like Tai Chi and Qi gong showed significant benefits for depression and anxiety, supported by a larger evidence base.
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Aerobic exercise demonstrated consistent small-to-moderate improvements in depression and anxiety among cancer survivors.
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Recommended exercise prescriptions include 2.8 METs, 40 minutes per session, six times weekly for depression, and moderate-intensity five times weekly for anxiety.
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Overall certainty of evidence was low due to risk of bias and small-study effects, necessitating cautious interpretation of findings.

Frontiers In Oncology

by LongYu Nie, Min Liu, ZhiDuo Chen, ChuanKai Luan, DingWu Liu, BingAo Chen, JinYu Wang, ChuanPing Lei
April 20, 2026

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