Efeitos do exercício físico na função cognitiva de mulheres sobreviventes do câncer de mama

Abstract

Breast cancer is a global public health problem whose incidence rate is increasing in the last decades. The evolution of treatments allowed an improvement in the survival of the cancer population, however side effects are quite common, including cognitive impairments. This master’s thesis is a systematic review of randomized controlled trials that aims to analyze the effects of exercise programs in different domains of cognitive function of breast cancer survivors, summarizing the main characteristics of the included studies. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central and Web of Science on May 7th, 2023. MeSh terms related to the PICOS structure were crossed with the Boolean Operators “AND” and “OR”. The eligibility criteria included randomized controlled trials with interventions based on physical exercise programs and performed by female breast cancer survivors, containing some comparator group, in which cognitive function has been evaluated as a dependent variable through neuropsychological tests and/or self-reported questionnaires developed for this purpose. Two independent researchers (VHGP and PSC) conducted the selection, data extraction and quality analysis of the included studies. Moreover, the TESTEX scale of 15 points was used to analyze the quality, and results were synthesized qualitatively without meta-analysis. The findings of the studies were reported in value p. Eleven studies were included in this review, involving interventions of aerobic (n = 5), resistance (n = 2), combined (n = 2) and mind-body (n = 2) exercises. Most studies applied neuropsychological tests to measure some cognitive domains (n = 10), and of these, four also evaluated the participants' self-reported cognitive function. Seven studies observed statistically significant effects in favor of the intervention group, compared to the control group, mainly on the following cognitive domains: memory, processing speed and perceived cognitive function. It is concluded that the practice of physical exercise for 8 weeks or more can bring benefits to the cognitive function of breast cancer survivors, despite the evidence still present methodological inconsistencies regarding approaches to effectively assess any cognitive changes related to cancer.