The Effects of Adding a Home Exercise Program to a Clinical Physical Therapy Program on Cancer-Related Fatigue

NCT ID: NCT00840554

Last Updated: 2012-07-11

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

20 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2009-02-28

Study Completion Date

2011-12-31

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this study is to find out if adding a home exercise program to a clinic physical therapy program will improve the fatigue experienced by patients being treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy for high grade gliomas.

Detailed Description

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Cancer-related fatigue is a common and disabling symptom in patients undergoing outpatient therapies to treat their cancers. Despite a consistent increase in both awareness and research, cancer-related fatigue remains poorly understood and poorly treated by the worldwide medical community.

The physical and emotional impact of cancer-related fatigue on Activities of Daily Living and Independent Activities of Daily Living can be profound. Simple tasks such as preparing meals and performing household chores become laborious. Walking up and down the aisles of grocery stores may send a patient directly to bed for the rest of the day upon returning home. In addition, if cancer-related fatigue contributes to prolonged bed rest, the secondary development of other medical problems can further impact quality of life and possibly length of life. Furthermore, the economic impact of cancer-related fatigue includes patients taking more days off work and reducing the number of hours they are able to work. Lastly, cancer-related fatigue often impacts the psychosocial well-being and family dynamics of patients, caregivers and their families.

Exercise is the strongest non-pharmacological intervention for management of cancer-related fatigue. Certain exercises have specifically demonstrated reduction in fatigue. An exercise program that incorporates strengthening and aerobic conditioning can decrease fatigue scores. Improvements in patient-reported cancer-related fatigue through the use of exercise has been demonstrated in various diseases, such as anemia, and several cancer types, most notably breast cancer. Furthermore, home exercise programs have shown meaningful improvements in patient reported fatigue.

This study will determine the effect that the addition of a 6-week Physical Therapist-directed home exercise program has on the pattern, severity, and quality of life of patient reported fatigue.

Conditions

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Fatigue

Keywords

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Fatigue Cancer-related fatigue High grade glioma Quality of life Exercise Physical Therapy HGG QOL

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Investigators

Study Groups

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Physical Therapy

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Clinic-based physical therapy program.

Intervention Type OTHER

All patients will receive a routine clinic-based physical therapy program. This program may include supervised aerobic conditioning, strengthening exercise, balance retraining, functional activity training, therapeutic exercise, and manual therapy.

Home Exercise

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Home exercise program.

Intervention Type OTHER

In addition to the clinic-based physical therapy program, patients will perform home exercises. Home exercise will include a walking and strengthening program 5 days per week. The home exercise routine will be recorded in an exercise diary.

Interventions

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Clinic-based physical therapy program.

All patients will receive a routine clinic-based physical therapy program. This program may include supervised aerobic conditioning, strengthening exercise, balance retraining, functional activity training, therapeutic exercise, and manual therapy.

Intervention Type OTHER

Home exercise program.

In addition to the clinic-based physical therapy program, patients will perform home exercises. Home exercise will include a walking and strengthening program 5 days per week. The home exercise routine will be recorded in an exercise diary.

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

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PT Exercise

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Greater than 18 years old on day of enrollment, male or female.
2. Histological confirmation of a high grade glioma (HGG). The patient's treatment plan must include plans for concurrent radiation and chemotherapy at the University of Florida.
3. Patients otherwise meeting standard medical criteria for referral to physical therapy.
4. Physically capable of trial participation, defined as:

* Ambulatory, without assist-devices.
* Able to maintain a specified walking pace for 15-30 minutes.
5. Adequate medical health to participate in this study.
6. Absence of factors that have been documented to possibly confound the assessment of fatigue:

* Hematocrit (Hct) \<30.
* Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) \> 2.5 wnl.
7. Absence of other factors, such as inadequate nutritional level, pain control, electrolyte levels, depression, that are felt insufficient for trial participation.
8. Karnofsky Performance Status \>60 or ECOG Performance Status \<2.
9. Ability to read and understand the patient informed consent form.
10. Ability and willingness to follow all requirements of the study including following all directions, taking medication as prescribed, and completion of all diaries and forms.
11. Signed informed consent.

2. Physical and medical issues that would interfere with trial participation, such as:

* History of major cardiopulmonary symptoms.
* Orthopedic problem limiting participation.
* Dementia or poor mental status.
* Neurological deficit limiting participation physically or cognitively.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University of Florida

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Erin M Dunbar, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Florida

Locations

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University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Other Identifiers

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HEP-001

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id