Tai Chi And Qigong On Physical And Mental Health In Cancer Survivors: A Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. The effects of Tai Chi and Qigong on physical and mental health in cancer survivors are yet to be investigated. PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of Tai Chi and Qigong exercises on physical and mental health of cancer survivors as compared with other active and passive controls. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and CINAHL were searched from inception to April 2023. Following PRISMA guidelines, two independent reviewers selected randomized controlled trials that compared the effects of Tai Chi or Qigong along with other active or passive controls in cancer survivors. The primary outcomes included all types of measurements related to cancer survivors' physical and mental health. The meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan v.5.4 software to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). The risk of bias was assessed by using the Risk of Bias 2.0 tool, and the overall quality of the evidence was assessed by using the GRADE approach. RESULTS: Nineteen studies were included in this meta-analysis. Tai Chi and Qigong intervention showed small-to-moderate effects on improving mental health (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.44; 95% CI = -0.64, -0.23) and physical health (SMD = - 0.29; 95 % CI = -0.51, -0.08) compared with passive controls. However, Tai Chi and Qigong were not different in improving physical (SMD = -0.07; 95% CI = -0.41, 0.28) and mental health (SMD = 0.00; 95% CI = -0.16, 0.17) compared with other active controls. In addition, Tai Chi and Qigong were not different in systemic inflammation blood biomarkers (SMD = -1.43; 95% CI = -4.13, 1.26) compared with passive controls. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated support for Tai Chi and Qigong to improving the physical and mental health of cancer survivors.