ReviewJournal of gastrointestinal cancer2026
Physical Activity and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Outcomes: a Narrative Review of Pre-clinical, Observational, and Interventional Evidence.
Review in Journal of gastrointestinal cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with incidence and mortality projected to rise. Most patients present with advanced or unresectable disease, where treatment efficacy is often constrained by frailty and impaired physical function. As physical function has emerged as a key determinant of treatment eligibility and survival, there is growing interest in physical activity as a supportive intervention in HCC care. This narrative review synthesises observational, pre-clinical, and trial evidence on the role of physical activity in patients with HCC, examining its potential to improve treatment tolerance, quality of life, and survival.
methodsA literature search was conducted across four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase) using keywords related to HCC, physical activity, exercise, and survivorship.
resultsPre-clinical studies reveal multiple mechanisms through which physical activity may enhance anti-tumour responses, including metabolic reprogramming, modulation of oncogenic signalling and immune activation. Observational studies suggest that frailty and sarcopenia - markers of reduced physical function, are possibly associated with early treatment discontinuation and shorter survival in HCC. Preliminary interventional data suggest that structured exercise programmes, delivered in hospital, outpatient, telehealth, or mobile formats, can improve frailty, preserve muscle mass, and may potentially support survival. However, clinical studies to date are limited by small sample sizes, non-randomised designs, and short follow-up periods.
conclusionCurrent evidence provides a biologically plausible and clinically promising rationale for integrating physical activity into HCC care pathways. While findings are encouraging, robust randomised trials are needed to establish efficacy, define optimal exercise regimens, and evaluate long-term outcomes.
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.