Background: Cancer, being a highly widespread disease on a global scale, has prompted
researchers to explore innovative treatment approaches. In this regard, blood flow restriction has
emerged as a promising procedure utilized in diverse clinical populations with favorable results
including improvements in muscle strength, cardiovascular function, and postoperative recovery.
The aim of this systematic review was to assess the efficacy of blood flow restriction in cancer
survivors. Methods: An investigation was carried out using various databases until February 2023:
PubMed, Scientific Electronic Library Online, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Scopus, Web of
Science, Cochrane Plus, SPORTDiscus, Physiotherapy and Podiatry of the Complutense University
of Madrid, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, Research Library, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied
Literature Complete Journal Storage, and the gray literature. To assess the methodological quality
of the studies, the PEDro scale was utilized, and the Cochrane Collaboration tool was employed to
evaluate the risk of bias. Results: Five articles found that blood flow restriction was beneficial in
improving several factors, including quality of life, physical function, strength, and lean mass, and
in reducing postoperative complications and the length of hospital stay. Conclusion: Blood flow
restriction can be a viable and effective treatment option. It is important to note that the caution with
which one should interpret these results is due to the restricted quantity of articles and significant
variation, and future research should concentrate on tailoring the application to individual patients,
optimizing load progression, ensuring long-term follow-up, and enhancing the methodological rigor
of studies, such as implementing sample blinding.
