None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The long-term presence of physical and psychosocial symptoms following breast cancer treatment is well established. However, Queensland is a geographically dispersed state, where many women with breast cancer live in rural and remote areas with limited support resources. Queensland-based research highlights that these women are more likely to have more extensive surgeries, and experience poorer quality of life and higher unmet needs. Exercise is one strategy with a large evidence base supporting its effectiveness in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life (QoL) among women following breast cancer. However, the majority of studies have been conducted overseas, and with women in urban areas. This pilot study will evaluate the feasibility of a telephone-delivered exercise-based rehabilitation support program for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer living in regional, rural and remote areas of Queensland, Australia. Feasibility and effect size data from the pilot study will be used to refine the intervention and to inform a subsequent application for a fully powered randomized controlled trial. This study forms an arm of a larger study that is currently being undertaken (ACTRN12606000233527) with an urban sample of women who have received breast cancer treatment via Brisbane-based hospitals (Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, Mater Hospital and Wesley Hospital).
Interventions
Intervention group: Half of women recruited into the study will be randomly assigned to a telephone-delivered exercise rehabilitation program and will receive an exercise workbook, an exercise tracker to log their physical activity and telephone support calls over 8 months from a study-trained Exercise Physiologist. Exercise Physiologists will contact participants regularly over 8 months to assist them to progress through their workbook to develop a safe and appropriate exercise regimen (16 call
Intervention group: Half of women recruited into the study will be randomly assigned to a telephone-delivered exercise rehabilitation program and will receive an exercise workbook, an exercise tracker to log their physical activity and telephone support calls over 8 months from a study-trained Exercise Physiologist. Exercise Physiologists will contact participants regularly over 8 months to assist them to progress through their workbook to develop a safe and appropriate exercise regimen (16 calls over 8 months). The final goal is to have women exercising at least 4 times per week, at moderate intensities, with exercise sessions lasting 45+ minutes. To achieve this goal, the exercise programs will be gradually progressed across the weeks by introducing different types of exercise and slowly increasing their intensity and duration. Progression in exercise will depend on the participant and how she is dealing with the exercises and her breast cancer treatment.
Sponsors
Cancer Prevention Research Centre, School of Population Health, The University of Queensland
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
20 Years to 69 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
First diagnosis of breast cancer; residing in a regional, remote or rural area according to the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (2001); willing to accept a random assignment to the control or exercise rehabilitation program group
Exclusion criteria
Those planning on moving away from current residence during the study period; those pregnant, lactating or planning to fall pregnant during the study period; those planning to have additional surgery during the study period; those who have a medical condition or are taking medications that would prohibit participation in any of the research protocols
Outcome results
None listed