Effects of Dance Therapy in Women with Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review Protocol

Background: Cancer is an important public health problem with an increasing global incidence in the recent decades. Breast cancer has become the leading cause of death in women worldwide. Women suffering from breast cancer, as well as survivors, may experience some adverse effects of treatment-including cancer-related fatigue, sleep disorders, and pain-which may manifest alone or in combination with other symptoms. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as physical activity, have been associated with improvements in these adverse effects. This study aims to evaluate the effects of dance therapy in women with breast cancer.

Methods: We will perform a systematic review according to the Cochrane methodology. An overall search strategy will be developed and adapted for PubMed, Virtual Health Library, PEDro, SciELO, SciVerse Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science using the descriptors "Dance therapy" or "Dancing" and "Breast neoplasms" or "Breast cancer." The size of the intervention effect (Z) will be calculated for each outcome included in this review. Outcomes will be pain, cancer-related fatigue, sleep disturbance, body image and depression in women with breast cancer. Quality assessment will be performed using the Cochrane instrument. Metanalysis, if plausible, will be performed using Review Manager 5.3.

Discussion: Studies have reported positive results of dance therapy as a non-pharmacological intervention in women with breast cancer. Thus, it is expected that robust and conclusive evidence of the effects of dance therapy during or after treatment (radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and/or surgery) can be obtained.

Trial Registration: Systematic review registration: CRD42020152876. (S1 File).