Exercise Interventions for Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Summary

The BENEFIT-Study is a randomized controlled 3-arm intervention trial investigating the currently discussed hypothesis that exercise concomitant to chemotherapy (CTx) may have a beneficial effect on cancer prognosis by boosting the anti-tumoral effect of the cytostatics or by enhancing therapy compliance. This hypothesis is based on pre-clinical and exploratory clinical trials. Breast cancer patients scheduled for neoadjuvant CTx will be randomized to either a resistance training or an aerobic training concomitant to the neoadjuvant CTx, or a waiting list control group that will get no exercise intervention during neoadjuvant CTx (i.e. usual care) but will exercise after breast surgery. The primary study endpoint is the tumor size. Further, the effects of resistance and aerobic exercise on the clinical-pathologic stage (CPS-EG) score, the pathological complete response (pCR), tolerability and compliance to CTx, physical fitness, patient reported outcomes such as fatigue, sleep problems, quality of life, depressive symptoms, anxiety and pain, as well as cognitive function, and selected biomarkers will be investigated.

A confirmation of the study hypothesis would be a strong argument for patients to engage in exercise as early as during neoadjuvant CTx. The trial will also provide evidence-based guidance for patients regarding type and timing of training.

Conditions

• Breast Cancer

Interventions

OTHER

Resistance exercise

The training will take place twice weekly over the course of neoadjuvant CTx at the NCT Heidelberg or in regional qualified centers under supervision and guidance of experienced exercise therapists. The progressive resistance exercise comprises 8 machine-based exercises, each performed in 3 sets, 12 repetitions at 60-80% of one repetition maximum (1-RM).

OTHER

Aerobic exercise

The training will take place twice weekly over the course of neoadjuvant CTx at the NCT Heidelberg or in regional qualified centers under supervision and guidance of experienced exercise therapists. The aerobic exercise will be performed on a cycle ergometer (or alternatively at a treadmill, elliptical, rowing ergometer, or combination) progressing from 60% to 70% VO2max with increasing duration. During weeks 7-18 the goal is to perform an extensive interval training.

OTHER

Usual care during neoadjuvant chemotherapy/Exercise after surgery

The control group receives no exercise intervention during neoadjuvant CTx, which reflects the usual care condition. To investigate effects of different exercise timing, and to provide those patients also a potential health benefit and reduce drop-out and contamination, the control group will receive 18 weeks resistance or aerobic exercise (according to their personal preferences) after breast cancer surgery.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Hospital Heidelberg

  collaborator OTHER

• German Cancer Research Center

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2016-01-22

Primary Completion

2023-06-29

Completion

2025-09-30

Countries

• Germany

Study Locations