Impact of physical exercise on psychological status and evaluation of exercise discussions during oncology consultations in Syria.

e13621 Background: Physical activity (PA) is a key component of supportive cancer care and is associated with improved psychological well-being. However, exercise participation and exercise-related communication during oncology consultations remains poorly characterized, particularly in resource-limited settings. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between November and December 2025 at Ibn Al-Nafees Hospital and Al-Bairouni Hospital, the national cancer center in Syria. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire assessing sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, consultation duration at diagnosis, and leisure-time PA using the Godin Leisure Score Index (LSI). Psychological distress was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2). Adherence to American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines was defined as ≥ 90 minutes/week of aerobic exercise and ≥ 2 resistance training sessions/week. Results: A total of 325 patients were included (mean age, 52.5 years; 66.8% female). Consultation time at diagnosis was notably brief: 18.7% of patients reported consultations lasting < 5 minutes, and 39.6% lasted 5–10 minutes. Physical inactivity was highly prevalent; 93.8% of participants had an LSI < 24, and only 0.6% met ACSM guidelines. In a logistic regression analysis, higher leisure-time physical activity was independently associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms (OR, 2.95; 95% CI, 1.10–7.91; p = 0.031) after adjusting for potential confounders. While 60.6% of patients preferred oncologist-initiated exercise discussions, exercise was not discussed in 69.8% of consultations, and oncologist-initiated discussion occurred in only 25.5%. Similarly, 80% of patients preferred oncologist-initiated discussions regarding psychological issues; however, such discussions occurred in only 42.2% of consultations, and over half (53.5%) reported that these issues were not discussed at all. Although 63% of patients preferred oncologist assessment and reinforcement of exercise, only 23.7% reported that their activity was assessed, 27.4% received advice, and 27.1% received reinforcement. Referral to exercise services was rare (1.8%), despite 39.1% of patients expressing a preference for referral. Conclusions: Among patients with cancer, short consultation times and marked physical inactivity coexist with significant gaps in exercise counseling and referral. These findings underscore a critical need to integrate structured, time-efficient exercise assessment and counseling into routine oncology care to address both physical and psychological health.