SynthesisJournal of cancer survivorship : research and practice2025
Retention rates and reasons for non-retention in exercise oncology trials in the post-treatment phase-a systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Narrative Therapy: A Systematic Review of Efficacy and Effectiveness for Improving Biopsychosocial Outcomes in People With Cancer.Psycho-oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Can a Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Informed Participant Information Leaflet (PIL) Improve Trial Recruitment, Retention, and Quality of Decision Making? Results of a Randomised Controlled Double-Blind Study Within a Trial (SWAT).Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025Trial
- Exercise for survivorship: outcomes associated with a community-based group exercise program for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- A Dyadic Approach to Cancer Care: Examining the Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Partner-Based Exercise Intervention for Caregivers and Their Care Recipients.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Smartphone-Based Physical Activity Program to Reduce "Chemo-Brain" Symptoms and Improve Health in Cancer Survivors With and Without Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for a Single-Arm Pre-Post Pilot Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Feasibility, Acceptability, and Outcomes of Project Rally: Pilot Study of a YMCA-Based Pickleball Program for Cancer Survivors.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeRetention is a key marker of trial success. Poor retention can induce bias, reduce statistical power and minimise the validity of trials. This review examined retention rates in exercise trials in cancer survivors, reasons for non-retention and retention strategies utilised.
methodsA systematic review was conducted using a predefined search strategy in EMBASE RCTs, MEDLINE OVID, CINAHL, Web of Science-Core Collection and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). The search was conducted on 27/03/2023. Title and abstract screening, full text review and data extraction were completed in duplicate.
resultsOf 17,524 studies identified, 67 trials involving 6093 participants were included. The median overall retention rate immediately post-intervention was 89.85%, range (52.94-100%) and mean 87.36% (standard deviation 9.89%). Trials involving colorectal cancer survivors only had the highest median retention rate (94.61%), followed by breast (92.74%), prostate (86.00%) and haematological cancers (85.49%). Studies involving mixed cancer cohorts had the lowest retention rate (80.18%). The most common retention strategies were wait-list control groups, regular check-ins/reminders and free exercise equipment. Common reasons for non-retention were lost to follow-up, health problems, personal reasons including family/work commitments and travel burden, and disease progression.
conclusionsRetention rates in exercise oncology trials are approximately 90% immediately post-interventions. Our previous work highlighted variable suboptimal recruitment rates of median 38% (range 0.52-100%). Recruitment rather than retention should be prioritised for methodology research in exercise oncology. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Optimising the quality of exercise oncology trials is critical to informing high quality survivorship care. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023421359.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.