Can Counseling Add Value to an Exercise Intervention for Improving Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors? A Feasibility Study

Abstract Background Most cancer patients, under active treatment or not, are sedentary, despite increasing scientific and clinical understanding of the benefits of exercise and physical activity, such as improving quality of life, limiting disease symptoms, decreasing cancer recurrence, and increasing overall survival. Studies have shown that both supervised exercise and unsupervised physical activity programs have low adherence and limited long-term benefits among cancer survivors. Therefore, interventions focused on increasing physical activity levels have clinical and psychological relevance. The present study will examine the feasibility and efficacy of an intervention that combines supervised group exercise with active lifestyle recommendations, analyzing its clinical, psychological, physiological, functional, and immunological effects in breast cancer survivors. Methods Women aged 35–75 years who have completed chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery for breast cancer will be recruited from the Cancer Institute of the State of Sao Paulo (ICESP) and take part in a 16-week, parallel-group, randomized, and controlled trial. They will receive a booklet with recommendations for achieving a physically active lifestyle by increasing overall daily movement and undertaking at least 150 min/week of structured exercise. Then, they will be randomized into two groups: the supervised group will take part in two canoeing group exercise sessions every week, and the unsupervised group will increase their overall physical activity level by any means, such as active commuting, daily activities, or home-based exercise. Primary outcome includes aerobic capacity. Secondary outcomes are physical activity, physical functioning, self-reported quality of life, fatigue, presence of lymphedema, body composition, immune function, adherence to physical activity guidelines, and perceptions of self-image. Discussion Results should contribute to advance knowledge on the impact of a supervised group exercise intervention to improve aspects related to health, physical functioning, and quality of life in female breast cancer survivors. Trial registration Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials Number: RBR-3fw9xf. Retrospectively Registered on 27 December 2018. Items from the World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set can be accessed on http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-3fw9xf/.

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Exercise Intervention Improves Clinical Outcomes, but the “Time of Session” is Crucial for Better Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers11050706 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 706 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Feng Hong ◽

Weibing Ye ◽

Chia-Hua Kuo ◽

Yong Zhang ◽

Yongdong Qian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Meta Regression

This study examined the effects of exercise intervention on the quality of life (QoL), social functioning (SF), and physical functioning (PF) of breast cancer survivors, and identified the responsible and optimal exercise characteristics for amelioration of outcomes. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that adopted exercise intervention and measured the QoL, SF, and PF of breast cancer patients were included. We used meta-analysis to calculate the pooled effect, and meta-regression to identify the responsible exercise characteristics (type, frequency, duration, and time). Subgroup analysis assessed the optimal “time of session” for an improved QoL. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to determine the quality of studies. In the systematic review, we included 26 RCTs with a total of 1892 breast cancer patients, whilst 18 trials were considered for meta-analysis (exercise = 602; control = 603). The pooled effect showed that exercise intervention substantially improved the QoL (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.35; I2 = 61%; 95% confidence internal (CI): 0.15–0.54; p = 0.0004), SF (SMD = 0.20; I2 = 16%; 95% CI:0.08–0.32; p = 0.001), and PF (SMD = 0.32; I2 = 32%; 95% CI:0.20–0.44; p < 0.00001). Meta-regression analysis showed that improved QoL was associated (p = 0.041) with the “time of session”. More specifically, sessions conducted for medium-time (>45 to ≤60 min; p = 0.03) and longer-time (>60 to 90 min; p = 0.005) considerably improved the QoL, whilst shorter-time (≤45 min; p = 0.15) did not. To summarize, exercise interventions improved the QoL, SF, and PF of breast cancer survivors, where the “time of session” appeared to be crucial for an effective improvement in the QoL.

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Effects of a personal trainer-led exercise intervention on physical activity, physical function, and quality of life of breast cancer survivors

Breast Cancer ◽

10.1007/s12282-020-01211-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Linda F. Wang ◽

Yvonne L. Eaglehouse ◽

Janette T. Poppenberg ◽

Jill W. Brufsky ◽

Emily M. Geramita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Physical Function ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Personal Trainer

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Practice and Outcome of Exercise Intervention on Breast Cancer-Specific Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors in Nigeria

Archives of Breast Cancer ◽

10.32768/abc.202183174-182 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174-182

Author(s):

Linda C Odikpo ◽

Edith N Chiejina

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Control Group ◽

Post Intervention

Background: Lifestyle modification like exercise is an essential rehabilitation measure that improves the quality of life (QoL) of women with breast cancer and helps in preventing cancer related complications. This study assessed the practice and outcome of exercise interventions on breast cancer-specific quality of life of survivors in Delta State, Nigeria. Methods: Experimental design was applied with intervention (47) and control (47) groups. This design involved a pre-test, an intervention, and a post-test. Exercise intervention (aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercises, including warm-up with Swiss ball and dance, climbing of stairs, treadmill, stationary exercise bicycle, shoulder, and arm exercises) was administered to the intervention group for twelve weeks. The assessment of breast cancer survivors' specific quality of life in the two groups was done with the English version of The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Breast Cancer-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ- EORTC-BR23) before and after the exercise intervention. Results: The overall pre and post-intervention breast cancer-specific functional quality of life was 65.4±22.7 (intervention group); 71.3±23.4 (control group) and 75.05 ±10.4 (intervention group); 58.65±12.9 (control group) while the pre and post breast cancer-specific symptoms QoL was 22.2±6.2 (intervention group); 24.1±9.6 (control group) and 11.8±13.0 (intervention group); 30.9±21.2 (control group), respectively. All the women in the intervention group practiced exercise only at mild/moderate intensity and no notable side effects were observed during the practice by many of them (n=39). Significant differences existed in the overall post-intervention breast cancer-specific functional and symptoms QoL between the two groups (p<0.001) and no significant differences were observed among most of the specific QoL scales in relation to age, duration of diagnosis, and stage of the cancer diagnosis. Conclusion: Exercise remains beneficial to women with breast cancer and has proven to be one of the necessary means to improve their overall well-being. Therefore, healthcare providers that manage these patients in different hospitals should always counsel and support them to initiate the recommended exercises for cancer survivors to enhance their survival.

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