How adherent are glioblastoma patients to supervised exercise during chemoradiotherapy?
What the Evidence Shows
What we've found so far suggests that many glioblastoma patients who begin a supervised exercise program during chemoradiotherapy tend to stick with it fairly consistently [1]. Our analysis of the available research shows that adherence is generally high among those who stay in the program, though it can vary significantly from person to person.
We looked at the evidence to understand how likely patients are to attend supervised exercise sessions while undergoing intense brain cancer treatment. What we’ve seen is that, on average, patients attend about 9 out of 10 scheduled sessions . This suggests that for many, taking part in structured exercise is manageable even during a demanding treatment period. However, we also found that adherence can drop as low as one-third of sessions for some individuals, which tells us that while many are able to stay consistent, others face challenges that affect their participation .
The data we’ve reviewed leans toward the idea that supervised exercise is feasible for most patients who commit to it, but we can’t say how many start and then drop out, or what specific factors make it harder for some to attend regularly. There are no studies in our current analysis that contradict this pattern—only one assertion was available, and it supports the idea of generally high adherence among those who continue the program .
Since our understanding is based on limited evidence, we can’t draw broad conclusions yet. We don’t know what support systems, program designs, or personal factors help patients stay on track, or how symptoms like fatigue or cognitive changes might affect attendance.
Practical takeaway: If you’re going through chemoradiotherapy for glioblastoma, starting a supervised exercise program may be something you can stick with—and many in similar situations have attended most of their sessions. But it’s also normal if attendance varies, and support may help you stay on track when treatment gets tough.