Type of Study: Systematic Review & Meta-analysis
Publication: October 2023, DOI: 10.1007/s00520-023-08103-9
Authors: T. Neuendorf, R. Haase, S. Schroeder, M. Schumann, N. Nitzsche
🔍What was observed?
This meta-analysis examined how well high-intensity interval training (HIIT) works for cancer patients compared to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). The focus was particularly on:
Functional performance
Maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂ max)
📊 A total of 31 studies with 1,555 patients were evaluated, including 8 studies with 268 patients for the detailed meta-analysis on VO₂ max.
➡️ Result: HIIT improves both physical performance and oxygen uptake—sometimes better than MICT.
✨ Highlights & Annotations
“HIIT improves the VO₂ max in cancer patients by an average of 10.68%, MICT by 7.4%.”
→ HIIT showed a significantly higher training effect (p = 0.009).
✅ 6-Minute Walk Test: +8.63 m
✅ Sit-and-Reach Mobility: +2.7 cm
✅ Training effects moderately correlate with training volume (ρ = 0.49)
📌 Good to know
HIIT could help cancer patients regain reduced performance due to illness or therapy.
Training programs should be individualized—the effectiveness significantly depends on intensity, duration, and frequency.
Studies show that shorter, intense training stimuli with breaks often work better than longer moderate exertion.
"Future studies should incorporate functional parameters more extensively to enable a better comparison between HIIT and MICT."
📈 Conclusion
This work provides important fundamentals for the integration of HIIT into prevention, therapy, and aftercare for oncology patients. The results clearly advocate the use of HIIT—as part of a modern rehabilitation program—under professional supervision.
Study (PDF)
Study (PDF)
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