Appendix 1. Search strategies

The Cochrane Library (CENTRAL, DARE and HTA):

#1 MeSH descriptor: [Neoplasms] explode all trees

#2 (cancer* or tumor* or tumour* or neoplas* or malignan* or carcinoma* or adenocarcinoma* or choricarcinoma* or leukemia* or leukaemia* or metastat* or sarcoma* or teratoma*):ti,ab,kw (Word variations have been searched)

#3 #1 and #2

#4 MeSH descriptor: [Weight Loss] explode all trees

#5 (cachexia or cachexic):ti,ab,kw (Word variations have been searched)

#6 MeSH descriptor: [Malnutrition] explode all trees

#7 (weight or underweight or malnutrition or wasting):ti,ab,kw (Word variations have been searched)

#8 #4 or #5 or #6 or #7

#9 MeSH descriptor: [Exercise] explode all trees

#10 MeSH descriptor: [Exercise Movement Techniques] explode all trees

#11 MeSH descriptor: [Exercise Therapy] explode all trees

#12 MeSH descriptor: [Physical Fitness] this term only

#13 (exercis* or aerobic* or resistance* or strength* or walk* or endurance*):ti,ab,kw (Word variations have been searched)

#14 (physical* near/5 (fit* or activ* or movement*)):ti,ab,kw (Word variations have been searched)

#15 #9 or #10 or #11 or #12 or #13 or #14

#16 #3 and #8 and #15

MEDLINE (OVID):

1        exp Neoplasms/

2        (cancer* or tumor* or tumour* or neoplas* or malignan* or carcinoma* or adenocarcinoma* or choricarcinoma* or leukemia* or leukaemia* or metastat* or sarcoma* or teratoma*).mp.

3        1 or 2

4        exp Weight Loss/

5        (cachexia or cachexic).mp.

6        exp Malnutrition/

7        (weight or underweight or malnutrition or wasting).mp.

8        4 or 5 or 6 or 7

9        exp Exercise/

10      exp Exercise Movement Techniques/

11      exp Exercise Therapy/

12      Physical Fitness/

13      (exercis* or aerobic* or resistance* or strength* or walk* or endurance*).mp.

14      (physical* adj5 (fit* or activ* or movement*)).mp.

15      9 or 10 or 11 or 12 or 13 or 14

16      3 and 8 and 15

17      randomized controlled trial.pt.

18      controlled clinical trial.pt.

19      randomized.ab.

20      placebo.ab.

21      clinical trials as topic.sh.

22      randomly.ab.

23      trial.ti.

24      17 or 18 or 19 or 20 or 21 or 22 or 23

25      16 and 24

key:

mp=title, abstract, original title, name of substance word, subject heading word, protocol supplementary concept, rare disease supplementary concept, unique identifier

pt=publication type

ab=abstract

sh=subject heading

ti=title

EMBASE (OVID)

1. exp Neoplasms/

2. (cancer* or tumor* or tumour* or neoplas* or malignan* or carcinoma* or adenocarcinoma* or choricarcinoma* or leukemia* or leukaemia* or metastat* or sarcoma* or teratoma*).mp. [mp=title, abstract, subject headings, heading word, drug trade name, original title, device manufacturer, drug manufacturer, device trade name, keyword]

3. 1 or 2

4. exp Weight Loss/

5. (cachexia or cachexic).mp. [mp=title, abstract, subject headings, heading word, drug trade name, original title, device manufacturer, drug manufacturer, device trade name, keyword]

6. exp Malnutrition/

7. (weight or underweight or malnutrition or wasting).mp. [mp=title, abstract, subject headings, heading word, drug trade name, original title, device manufacturer, drug manufacturer, device trade name, keyword]

8. 4 or 5 or 6 or 7

9. exp Exercise/

10. exp Exercise Movement Techniques/

11. exp Exercise Therapy/

12. Physical Fitness/

13. (exercis* or aerobic* or resistance* or strength* or walk* or endurance*).mp. [mp=title, abstract, subject headings, heading word, drug trade name, original title, device manufacturer, drug manufacturer, device trade name, keyword]

14. (physical* adj5 (fit* or activ* or movement*)).mp. [mp=title, abstract, subject headings, heading word, drug trade name, original title, device manufacturer, drug manufacturer, device trade name, keyword]

15. or/9‐14

16. 3 and 8 and 15

17. random$.tw.

18. factorial$.tw.

19. crossover$.tw.

20. cross over$.tw.

21. cross‐over$.tw.

22. placebo$.tw.

23. (doubl$ adj blind$).tw.

24. (singl$ adj blind$).tw.

25. assign$.tw.

26. allocat$.tw.

27. volunteer$.tw.

28. Crossover Procedure/

29. double‐blind procedure.tw.

30. Randomized Controlled Trial/

31. Single Blind Procedure/

32. or/17‐31

33. (animal/ or nonhuman/) not human/

34. 32 not 33

35. 16 and 34

ISI Web Of Science and BIOSIS:

#15 #14 AND #8

#14 #13 AND #12

#13 Topic=(human*)

#12 #11 OR #10 OR #9

#11 Topic=(((singl* OR doubl* OR trebl* OR tripl*) SAME (blind* OR mask*)))

#10 Topic=((controlled clinical trial OR controlled trial OR clinical trial OR placebo))

#9 Topic=((randomised OR randomized OR randomly OR random order OR random sequence OR random allocation OR randomly allocated OR at random OR randomized controlled trial))

#8 #7 AND #4 AND #1

#7 #6 OR #5

#6 Topic=((physical* near/5 (fit* or activ* or movement*)))

#5 Topic=((exercis* or aerobic* or resistance* or strength* or walk* or endurance*))

#4 #3 OR #2

#3 Topic=((weight or underweight or malnutrition or wasting))

#2 Topic=((cachexia or cachexic))

Databases=SCI‐EXPANDED, CPCI‐S Timespan=All years

#1 Topic=((cancer* or tumor* or tumour* or neoplas* or malignan* or carcinoma* or adenocarcinoma* or choricarcinoma* or leukemia* or leukaemia* or metastat* or sarcoma* or teratoma*))

LILACS (BIREME):

(cancer$ or tumor$ or tumour$ or neoplas$ or malignan$ or carcinoma$ or adenocarcinoma$ or choricarcinoma$ or leukemia$ or leukaemia$ or metastat$ or sarcoma$ or teratoma$) [Words] and (cachexia or cachexic) or (weight or underweight or malnutrition or wasting) and (fit* or activ* or movement* or exercis* or aerobic* or resistance* or strength* or walk* or endurance*) [Words] and ((PT randomized controlled trial OR PT controlled clinical trial OR PT multicenter study OR MH randomized controlled trials as topic OR MH controlled clinical trials as topic OR MH multicenter study as topic OR MH random allocation OR MH double‐blind method OR MH single‐blind method ) OR (( ensaio $ OR ensayo $ OR trial $) AND ( azar OR acaso OR placebo OR control $ OR aleat $ OR random $ OR enmascarado $ OR simpleciego OR (( simple $ OR single OR duplo $ OR doble $ OR double $) AND ( cego OR ciego OR blind OR mask ))) AND clinic $)) AND NOT (MH animals))

PEDro (the Physiotherapy Evidence Database):

cachexia AND exercise

SciVerse SCOPUS:

KEY("exercise") OR KEY("physical activity") AND KEY("cachexia")

Open Grey (System for Information on Grey Literature):

cachexia AND exercise