Study of Aerobic Training for People Receiving Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Launched by MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER · Jan 30, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying the effects of different types of exercise on women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. The researchers want to compare two approaches to aerobic training: one is a standard program where participants walk the same amount each week, and the other is an adaptive program that changes the exercise level based on how the participant is feeling and responding to the exercise. The goal is to see how these training methods impact participants' cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), which is a measure of how well the heart and lungs work during physical activity.

To participate in this study, women must be at least 18 years old and have been diagnosed with breast cancer, scheduled to receive chemotherapy. They should also currently be doing less than 90 minutes of moderate or hard exercise each week. Participants will need to undergo some fitness testing to ensure they are suitable for the study. Those who join can expect to engage in a structured exercise program while being closely monitored, helping researchers understand how different exercise approaches may support their health during treatment.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Aged ≥18 years
• • Female
• * Diagnosed with primary breast cancer as defined by one of the following:
• • Histological confirmation
• • As per standard of care imaging
• • Scheduled to receive neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy
• • Performing ≤90 minutes of moderate- and/or strenuous-intensity exercise per week, as evaluated by self-report
• • Willingness to comply with all study-related procedures
• * Able to achieve an acceptable peak baseline CPET, as defined by any of the following criteria:
• • 1. Achieving a plateau in oxygen consumption, concurrent with an increase in power output;
• • 2. A respiratory exchange ratio ≥ 1.10;
• • 3. Attainment of maximal predicted heart rate (HRmax) (i.e., within 10 bpm of age-predicted HRmax \[HRmax = 220-Age\[years\]);
• • 4. Volitional exhaustion, as measured by a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) ≥ 18 on the BORG scale.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Enrollment onto any other interventional investigational study, except interventions determined by the PI not to confound study outcomes
• • Receiving treatment for any other diagnosis of invasive cancer
• • Distant metastatic malignancy of any kind
• • Mental impairment leading to inability to cooperate
• * Any of the following contraindications to cardiopulmonary exercise testing:
• • i. Acute myocardial infarction within 3-5 days of any planned study procedures; ii. Unstable angina; iii. Uncontrolled arrhythmia causing symptoms or hemodynamic compromise; iv. Recurrent syncope; v. Active endocarditis; vi. Acute myocarditis or pericarditis; vii. Symptomatic severe aortic stenosis; viii. Uncontrolled heart failure; ix. Acute pulmonary embolus or pulmonary infarction within 3 months of any planned study procedures; x. Thrombosis of lower extremities; xi. Suspected dissecting aneurysm; xii. Uncontrolled asthma; xiii. Pulmonary edema; xiv. Respiratory failure; xv. Acute non-cardiopulmonary disorders that may affect exercise performance or be aggravated by exercise (i.e., infection, renal failure, thyrotoxicosis) xvi. Room air desaturation at rest ≤ 85%
• • Any other condition or intercurrent illness that, in the opinion of the investigator, makes the subject a poor candidate for study participation