Effectiveness of physical therapy techniques for cancer-related pain: a systematic review

TL;DR

This review finds that physiotherapy, including exercise and electrotherapy, can help reduce cancer-related pain and improve function in patients.

Contribution

The study provides a systematic evaluation of physiotherapy's effectiveness for cancer-related pain using recent randomized trials.

Findings

Physiotherapy interventions reduced pain intensity and improved functional capacity and quality of life.

No serious adverse effects were reported across the included trials.

Most evidence supports interventions for neuropathic pain from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Abstract

Cancer-related pain is a frequent and disabling symptom that negatively affects function and quality of life. Physiotherapy interventions are increasingly used as adjuvant treatments to alleviate pain and improve functional recovery in oncology patients.

To evaluate the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions in reducing cancer-related pain and improving functional outcomes.

A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines (PROSPERO ID: CRD42026542801). Searches were performed in PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL, and PEDro databases between January 30 and February 15, 2025, including randomized controlled trials published in English or Spanish with PEDro scores ≥ 6.

Eight randomized controlled trials published between 2020 and 2024 met the inclusion criteria, encompassing 514 participants. Interventions included resistance and aerobic exercise, sensorimotor training, electrotherapy, and multimodal rehabilitation programs. Most studies reported significant reductions in pain intensity, improvements in functional capacity and quality of life, and no serious adverse effects. The methodological quality of the included trials was moderate to high.

Physiotherapy interventions, particularly structured exercise and electrotherapy, appear to be effective and safe adjuvant strategies that may contribute to improvements in pain-related and functional outcomes in people with cancer. The available evidence predominantly addresses neuropathic pain associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Nevertheless, heterogeneity among protocols and small sample sizes limit the strength of conclusions, underscoring the need for additional high-quality randomized controlled trials.

PROSPERO CRD42026542801.

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