PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this systematic review is to determine if exercise provides a positive therapeutic effect for patients with cancer related fatigue (CRF) by comparing studies that used the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue (FACIT-F) to assess the changes. METHODS: Six databases and Google Scholar were searched from inception to February 2013 for articles that met the following inclusion criteria: (1) the study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT), (2) a therapeutic exercise intervention was performed, (3) FACIT-F was used as the standardized tool. RESULTS: The search yielded a total of 904 citations, of which only 9 met our criteria. The exercise programs for the experimental groups varied within each study; however, all 9 studies reported a positive therapeutic effect of exercise on CRF. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Examination of the literature in the review revealed that exercise provides a positive therapeutic effect for patients with CRF.

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A brief summary and a critical assessment of this review may be available at DARE