| Summary: | Objective To evaluate existing evidence from published systematic reviews for the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions in patients with leukaemia towards physical, psychological and quality of life outcomes. Data sources A comprehensive literature search was conducted using medical and health science databases up to 1 December 2022. Bibliographies of pertinent articles, journals and grey literature were searched. Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers assessed methodological quality and graded the quality of evidence for outcomes using validated tools. Any discrepancies were resolved by final group consensus. Results Fifteen systematic reviews (40 studies, 2,957 patients with leukaemia) evaluated 2 broad categories of rehabilitation interventions (physical exercise and coping skill/complementary interventions). Most reviews were of low methodological quality. The findings suggest: low-quality evidence for exercise interventions for improving physical and psychological functioning, fatigue and quality of life; very low-quality evidence for coping skill/complementary interventions for improved psychological symptoms and quality of life. Association between physical activity and the risk of leukaemia remains unclear. Conclusion Despite a range of rehabilitation interventions used for patients with leukaemia, high-quality evidence is limited for many. More robust research studies are required to determine the most effective rehabilitation approaches.
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