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Physical Activity With or Without Dexamethasone in Reducing Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With Locally Advanced, Metastatic, or Recurrent Cancer

A Combination Therapy for Cancer-Related Fatigue in Advanced Cancer Patients

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03583255
Enrollment
99
Registered
2018-07-11
Start date
2018-06-29
Completion date
2027-12-31
Last updated
2026-07-09

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Advanced Malignant Solid Neoplasm, Hematopoietic and Lymphoid System Neoplasm, Locally Advanced Malignant Solid Neoplasm, Metastatic Malignant Solid Neoplasm, Recurrent Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Brief summary

This phase II/III trial studies how well physical activity with or without dexamethasone works in reducing cancer-related fatigue in patients with cancer that has spread to other places in the body or has come back. Dexamethasone may decrease the body's immune response. Combining physical activity with dexamethasone may help to treat fatigue in patients with cancer.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To test the hypotheses that patients with cancer-related fatigue (CRF) will be satisfied with the physical activity + dexamethasone (PA+ DEX) intervention, have adequate rates of adherence, and that PA+ DEX will be feasible for patients with CRF. Ia. To determine if the combination of PA+ DEX is a feasible intervention for advanced cancer patients, as evidenced by an adherence rate to daily use of PA+ DEX greater than or equal to 75%. Ib. To determine if patients are satisfied with PA+ DEX, based on more than 75% of patients indicating their satisfaction with PA+ DEX with a rating of "somewhat satisfied" or "completely satisfied." SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To test the hypothesis that PA+ DEX (PA for 4 weeks plus dexamethasone 4 mg twice a day for 1 week) will be more efficacious than PA+ placebo (PA for 4 weeks plus placebo for 1 week) on CRF as measured by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue (FACIT-F). Ia. To determine if PA+ DEX results in robust reduction in FACIT-F subscale scores (defined as \>= 10 point improvement in 60% of patients). II. To explore the effects of PA+ DEX on fatigue-related symptoms and function. IIa. To determine if PA+ DEX improves CRF by targeting the various associated factors of CRF. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms. ARM I: Patients receive dexamethasone orally (PO) twice daily (BID) for 7 days. Patients also complete resistance training and moderate intensity walking at home for minimum 5 days per week over 4 weeks. ARM II: Patients receive placebo PO BID for 7 days. Patients also complete resistance training and moderate intensity walking as in Arm I. After completion of study, patients are followed up at 29 days and 1 month.

Interventions

DRUGDexamethasone

Given PO

BEHAVIORALExercise Intervention

Complete resistance training and moderate intensity walking

OTHERPlacebo Administration

Given PO

Sponsors

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of locally advanced cancer (defined as metastatic or recurrent cancer or completed 2 lines of therapy) with fatigue \>= 4/10 (0-10 scale) on the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) * Presence of fatigue for at least 2 weeks * Normal cognition defined as Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) of =\< 13/30 completed in person or via video conference * Hemoglobin \> 8 g/L within 2 weeks of enrollment in the study * Zubrod performance status =\< 2 * Life expectancy of \>= 4 months * Able to read, write, and speak English

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with a history of hypersensitivity to dexamethasone or having any contraindication to physical activity as determined by the treating physician * Reports of a fall in the past 30 days * Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus as defined by a random blood sugar of \> 200 mg/dl not being monitored by their primary care physician * Sepsis and/or acute, chronic, or ongoing infections that are currently being treated with systemic antimicrobials * Current, active peptic ulcer disease * Neutropenia as defined by an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of \< 1000 cells/mm * Regular participation in moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity for \>= 30 minutes at least 5 times a week and strength training for \>= 2 days * Symptomatic cardiac disease (New York Heart Association functional class III or IV) or coronary artery disease * Patients currently on immunotherapy * Inability to comply with study protocol procedures

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Feasibility For Participants with Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF)Up to 1 monthWill be assessed by the proportion of participants completing the intervention. Will estimate 95% confidence intervals for the proportion of patients completing the intervention.
AdherenceUp to 1 monthWill be calculated as the mean of the % of total prescribed strength training sessions and the % of total prescribed walking regimen minutes completed (exercise), and mean (across all patients) percentage of total prescribed pills taken (study medication) as detailed above. Will estimate 95% confidence intervals for the proportion of patients completing the intervention and the adherence rate.
SatisfactionUp to 1 monthWill estimate 95% confidence intervals for the proportion of patients with a satisfaction rating of "somewhat satisfied" or "completely satisfied."

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSriram Yennu

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jul 10, 2026