Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effects of Lymfit

Summary

Background: Lymphoma is one of the most diagnosed cancers in young adults aged 18 to 39. Lymphoma is highly treatable, and the survival rate is often high. Yet, cancer treatments can be toxic, and their side effects can negatively impact the quality of life among cancer survivors. The current research suggests that being active after treatment can improve cancer outcomes. For instance, reducing cancer-related fatigue, anxiety, depression, and improving sleep quality and survival. Physical activities can greatly improve the quality of life after cancer treatment.

Knowledge Gap: Young adults are unique from cancer patients of other age groups. Young adults need stage-of-life-specific, person-centred cancer and survivorship care. Despite knowing that exercise is beneficial in improving cancer outcomes, cancer survivors' engagement and adherence to exercise guidelines remain poor. It is crucial to develop an effective intervention that can motivate lymphoma patients to be active after treatment.

Purposes: Our study team developed a behavioural change intervention named LymFit. The LymFit intervention involves a personalized exercise program, bi-weekly kinesiology follow-ups, and the use of activity trackers. The aim of this study is to test if the design of the intervention is feasible and acceptable. The investigators also aim to test if the intervention is able to promote exercise motivation among young adult lymphoma survivors.

Implications: This 12-week pilot study examines the implementation strategies and clinical relevance of a behavioural change intervention targeting young adult lymphoma survivors. The study results have the potential to map out the optimal design of an effective physical activity intervention in improving cancer outcomes, and optimize post-cancer treatment care coordination among health professionals.

Conditions

• Cancer Survivors
• Lymphoma

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Lymfit Intervention

Participants will be allocated a pre-registered Inspire II / Charge IV model Fitbit. The research team will reach out to the participant via videoconferencing and help them to: download the Fitbit smartphone application; log-in using the anonymous study identification information; and pair their Fitbit with their smartphone application. A kinesiologist of the study will meet with the participants for a baseline fitness assessment. The kinesiologist will examine the baseline physical activity levels, fitness level and sedentary behaviours of the participants, to design a personalized exercise prescription. Within one week after the baseline fitness assessment, the kinesiologist will contact the participants to discuss the exercise prescription. Every two weeks there-after, the kinesiologist will follow up with the participants via videoconferencing to discuss their progress and to modify or advance their exercise prescriptions as needed, plus an acceptability assessment survey.

BEHAVIORAL

Wait-list control

Participants will be contacted by the study kinesiologist for a baseline fitness assessment 3 months after they consent, participants will be given a Fitbit, a personalized exercise prescription and receive bi-weekly follow-ups for 12 weeks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Jewish General Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

  collaborator OTHER

• McGill University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

39 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-02-01

Primary Completion

2023-03-01

Completion

2023-12-01

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations