Efficacy of dance-based interventions on psychosocial outcomes and fatigue in breast cancer survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Background: Breast cancer survivors endure treatment side effects including cancer-related fatigue (CRF), sleep disturbances, and depression, impacting health status. Dance-based interventions, combining physical activity, social connection, and creative expression, may mitigate these effects. This study evaluated the efficacy of dance interventions versus standard care on quality of life (QoL) and symptom clusters in breast cancer patients to improve care. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted. Eligible studies investigated dance interventions (e.g., belly dance, tango, aerobic dance) delivered in-person or remotely for breast cancer patients undergoing active treatment or in survivorship. The primary outcomes were QoL, CRF, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. Data were pooled using a random-effects model with inverse variance weighting. Effect sizes were calculated as Standardized Mean Differences (SMD) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). Heterogeneity was assessed using the I ² statistic. Results: Five RCTs (N=455) were included in the final analysis. Dance interventions resulted in a statistically significant improvement in global Quality of Life (SMD 0.43; 95% CI 0.15–0.72; P=0.003), with low heterogeneity (I ² =23%). A significant reduction in Cancer-Related Fatigue was observed in the intervention groups (SMD -0.50; 95% CI -0.81 to -0.18; P=0.002; I ² =23%). Depressive symptoms were also significantly reduced (SMD -0.62; 95% CI -1.21 to -0.03; P=0.04), though heterogeneity was substantial (I ² =69%). No significant improvement was found for sleep quality (P=0.67), which exhibited high heterogeneity (I ² =88%) across the included studies. Conclusions: Dance-based interventions demonstrate efficacy in significantly improving quality of life and reducing fatigue and depressive symptoms among breast cancer survivors. These findings advocate for the inclusion of diverse dance modalities as viable, non-pharmacological supportive care options. Future multi-center trials are warranted to further investigate the impact on sleep quality and standardize intervention protocols.

Pooled analysis of dance-based interventions on patient outcomes.