Effects of Exercise in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer

NCT ID: NCT04120298

Last Updated: 2023-12-06

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

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

357 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2020-01-08

Study Completion Date

2027-07-01

Brief Summary

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Currently, the effect of exercise on metastatic breast cancer has not been extensively studied, even though the benefits are evident in the curative setting. The investigators designed the EFFECT study to assess the effects of a 9-month structured and individualised exercise intervention in 350 patients with metastatic breast cancer (stage IV) on cancer-related physical fatigue, Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), and other disease and treatment-related side effects at six months (primary endpoint).

Detailed Description

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The EFFECT study is a multicentre, randomised controlled trial. The intervention group will participate in a 9-month exercise intervention. The exercise program will start with a 6-month period, where patients participate in a supervised multimodal exercise program twice a week supplemented with unsupervised exercises. The multimodal exercise program comprises aerobic-, resistance- and balance components. After completing the initial six-month period, one supervised session will be replaced by one unsupervised session until month nine.

Unsupervised exercises will be supported by an activity tracker (FitBit) and an exercise App specifically designed for the EFFECT trial. Patients randomized to the control group will also receive an activity tracker (like the intervention group). The investigators will advice control patients to avoid inactivity and be as physically active as current abilities and conditions allow, with the aim to progress towards being physically active for 150min/week in line with the current exercise guidelines.

Conditions

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Metastatic Breast Cancer

Keywords

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exercise cancer-related fatigue quality of life

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Supervised exercise group

The intervention group will participate in a 9-month exercise intervention. The exercise program will start with a 6-month period, where patients participate in a supervised multimodal exercise program twice a week supplemented with unsupervised exercises. The multimodal exercise program comprises aerobic-, resistance- and balance components. After completing the initial six-month period, one supervised session will be replaced by one unsupervised session until month nine.

Unsupervised exercises will be supported by an activity tracker (FitBit) and an exercise App specifically designed for the EFFECT trial

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Supervised exercise

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

An individualised exercise programme supervised by a trained instructor

Control group

Patients randomized to the control group will also receive an activity tracker (like the intervention group). We will advice control patients to avoid inactivity and be as physically active as current abilities and conditions allow, with the aim to progress towards being physically active for 150min/week in line with the current exercise guidelines.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Supervised exercise

An individualised exercise programme supervised by a trained instructor

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Diagnosis of breast cancer stage IV
* ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale) performance status ≤ 2
* Able and willing to perform the exercise program and wear the activity tracker

Exclusion Criteria

* A potential subject who meets any of the following criteria is not eligible for enrolment into this study:

* Unstable bone metastases inducing skeletal fragility as determined by the treating clinician
* Untreated symptomatic known brain metastasis
* Estimated life expectancy \< 6 months as determined by the treating clinician
* Serious active infection
* Too physically active (i.e. \>210 minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous intentional exercise
* Severe neurologic or cardiac impairment according ACSM criteria
* Uncontrolled severe respiratory insufficiency as determined by the treating clinician or if the patient is dependent on oxygen suppletion in rest or during exercise
* Uncontrolled severe pain
* Any other contraindications for exercise as determined by the treating physician
* Any circumstances that would impede adherence to study requirements or ability to give informed consent, as determined by the treating clinician
* Pregnancy
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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German Cancer Research Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Australian Catholic University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Karolinska Institutet

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

The Netherlands Cancer Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Medical University of Gdansk

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Fundación Onkologikoa Fundazioa

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Europa Donna

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

German Sport University, Cologne

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University Hospital Heidelberg

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Nurogames GmbH, Cologne

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

UMC Utrecht

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Dr. Anne May

Cancer Epidemiologist

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Anne May, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

UMC Utrecht Julius Center

Locations

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University Medical Center Utrecht

Utrecht, , Netherlands

Site Status

Countries

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Netherlands

References

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Kias A, Schmidt ME, Hiensch AE, Clauss D, Monninkhof EM, Pelaez M, Belloso J, Gunasekara N, Sweegers MG, Trevaskis M, Rundqvist H, Muller J, Wiskemann J, van der Wall E, Aaronson NK, Lachowicz M, Urruticoechea A, Zopf EM, Bloch W, Stuiver MM, Wengstrom Y, May AM, Steindorf K. Factors Associated With Employment and Quality of Working Life in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer. Cancer Med. 2025 Aug;14(15):e71074. doi: 10.1002/cam4.71074.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 40714912 (View on PubMed)

Schouten AEM, Hiensch AE, Frederix GWJ, Monninkhof EM, Schmidt ME, Clauss D, Gunasekara N, Belloso J, Trevaskis M, Rundqvist H, Wiskemann J, Muller J, Sweegers MG, Fremd C, Altena R, Bijlsma RM, Sonke G, Lahuerta A, Mann GB, Francis PA, Richardson G, Malter W, Kufel-Grabowska J, van der Wall E, Aaronson NK, Senkus E, Urruticoechea A, Zopf EM, Bloch W, Stuiver MM, Wengstrom Y, Steindorf K, van der Meulen MP, May AM. Supervised Exercise for Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Cost-Utility Analysis Alongside the PREFERABLE-EFFECT Randomized Controlled Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2025 Apr 10;43(11):1325-1336. doi: 10.1200/JCO-24-01441. Epub 2025 Jan 13.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 39805062 (View on PubMed)

Hiensch AE, Depenbusch J, Schmidt ME, Monninkhof EM, Pelaez M, Clauss D, Gunasekara N, Zimmer P, Belloso J, Trevaskis M, Rundqvist H, Wiskemann J, Muller J, Sweegers MG, Fremd C, Altena R, Gorecki M, Bijlsma R, van Leeuwen-Snoeks L, Ten Bokkel Huinink D, Sonke G, Lahuerta A, Mann GB, Francis PA, Richardson G, Malter W, van der Wall E, Aaronson NK, Senkus E, Urruticoechea A, Zopf EM, Bloch W, Stuiver MM, Wengstrom Y, Steindorf K, May AM. Supervised, structured and individualized exercise in metastatic breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial. Nat Med. 2024 Oct;30(10):2957-2966. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03143-y. Epub 2024 Jul 25.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 39054374 (View on PubMed)

Pelaez M, Stuiver MM, Broekman M, Schmitz KH, Zopf EM, Clauss D, Wengstrom Y, Rosenberger F, Steindorf K, Urruticoechea A, May AM. Early Detection of Brain Metastases in a Supervised Exercise Program for Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer: A Case Report. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2023 Oct 1;55(10):1745-1749. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003213. Epub 2023 May 12.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 37170950 (View on PubMed)

Hiensch AE, Monninkhof EM, Schmidt ME, Zopf EM, Bolam KA, Aaronson NK, Belloso J, Bloch W, Clauss D, Depenbusch J, Lachowicz M, Pelaez M, Rundqvist H, Senkus E, Stuiver MM, Trevaskis M, Urruticoechea A, Rosenberger F, van der Wall E, de Wit GA, Zimmer P, Wengstrom Y, Steindorf K, May AM. Design of a multinational randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of structured and individualized exercise in patients with metastatic breast cancer on fatigue and quality of life: the EFFECT study. Trials. 2022 Jul 29;23(1):610. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06556-7.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 35906659 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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https://www.h2020preferable.eu/

Website of the EFFECT study within the PREFERABLE project

https://twitter.com/PREFERABLE_MBC

Twitter account PREFERABLE project

Other Identifiers

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NL69600.041.19

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

19-524

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id