Efficacy of a combined diet and exercise intervention in patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

e12517 Background: Breast cancer treatment presents challenging side effects that may compromise patients’ health and quality of life (QoL). While exercise programmes have been shown to improve survival, the impact of combined exercise and dietary interventions compared to usual practices alongside chemotherapy remains controversial. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, and ClinicalTrials.gov were systematically searched up to October 2023. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving adult breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and comparing combined diet and exercise interventions with usual care. Outcomes of interest included weight change, relative dose intensity (RDI), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General scale (FACT-G) score for QoL. Statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4.1 and RStudio version 4.1.2. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023463543). Results: Seven RCTs with 960 patients undergoing breast cancer therapy were included, of whom 506 (53%) were assigned to combined exercise and dietary interventions. Participants had a mean BMI of 26.6 kg/m 2 , and approximately 52% were postmenopausal. Combined exercise and dietary interventions resulted in significant reductions in weight loss (MD -1.06 kg, 95% CI -1.68 to -0.44; p<0.01), BMI (MD -0.44; 95% CI -1.76 to -0.13; p<0.01), body fat (MD -2.12%; 95% CI -3.99 to -0.26; p=0.03), and FACT-G (MD -3.40; 95% CI -6.25 to -0.55; p=0.02) compared to usual care. No significant differences were observed in waist circumference (p=0.05), RDI (p=0.23), or fatigue levels (p=0.98) between groups. Conclusions: In this meta-analysis of randomized trials, combined exercise and dietary interventions improved weight management in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy but did not significantly impact chemotherapy completion, fatigue levels, and worsened FACT-G score (QoL). Findings can help to further holistic cancer care, taking into account both physical and psychosocial dimensions of patient health.