Targeted Telerehabilitation Following Curative Intent Therapy of Lung Cancer

NCT ID: NCT05179408

Last Updated: 2026-01-27

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 40 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2026-01-12
• Study Completion Date: 2027-03-30

Brief Summary

Lung cancer is the second-most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. Veterans. Substantial advances have been made in early detection through screening and treatment. The longevity of Veterans following lung cancer diagnosis and treatment has increased. Following treatment however, many Veterans experience increased symptom burden, particularly in shortness of breath, fatigue, and fear/anxiety about lung cancer, and impairments in physical and psychosocial functioning. Rehabilitation services are needed to address these survivorship challenges. This study will evaluate multi-targeted telerehabilitation with Veterans following lung cancer treatment, with goals to reduce symptom burden, improve physical and psychosocial function, and enhance health-related quality of life. This research will also develop the career of a physician researcher to acquire expertise in rehabilitation for many Veteran survivors of lung and other cancers.

Detailed Description

Lung cancer is the second-most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. Veterans - over 8,200 incident cases are diagnosed each year. Approximately 50% of lung cancers are diagnosed at stage I-III and therefore eligible for curative intent therapy. Survival rates among Veterans with early stage lung cancer have increased along with advances in surgical and radiation techniques. Following curative intent therapy, many Veterans experience physical function loss and increased symptom burden, particularly in dyspnea, fatigue, and fear/anxiety. Approaches are needed to improve their physical and psychosocial function and health-related quality of life (HRQL). We hypothesize that multi-targeted telerehabilitation could mitigate these HRQL impairments. Therefore, we will conduct a pilot randomized trial to examine the (a) feasibility, (b) acceptability, (c) safety, and (d) explore the effects of multi-targeted telerehabilitation with these patients. Participants (N=30-40) will be randomized (3:1) to receive 8 weeks of participant-chosen targeted telerehabilitation (experimental arm) or waitlist condition (control arm). Feasibility will be assessed by enrollment, adherence, retention and exploratory effects by linear mixed effects models comparing changes in patient-centered outcomes from baseline to end-of-intervention between groups: dyspnea, daily step count, fatigue, role/social function, fear/anxiety, and HRQL. This project will provide pilot data and training for an early career physician investigator to establish independence, with a goal of a large-scale, preference-informed randomized trial of targeted and patient-centered telerehabilitation, to improve the physical and psychosocial function, independence, and HRQL of Veteran lung cancer survivors following curative intent therapy.

Conditions

Cancer Survivors; Lung Cancer

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Targeted telerehabilitation

Participant-chosen targets: 1) inspiratory muscle training + walking (to reduce dyspnea and improve physical activity/endurance; 2) resistance training (to reduce fatigue and improve role/social function; 3) mindfulness training (to reduce fear of cancer recurrence and anxiety)

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Targeted-telerehabilitation

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participant-chosen targets: 1) inspiratory muscle training + walking (to reduce dyspnea and improve physical activity/stept count; 2) resistance training (to reduce fatigue and improve role/social function; 3) mindfulness training (to reduce fear of cancer recurrence and anxiety)

Waitlist

8-week waiting period prior to participating in targeted telerehabilitation

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Waitlist

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

8-week waiting period prior to targeted telerehabilitation

Interventions

Targeted-telerehabilitation

Participant-chosen targets: 1) inspiratory muscle training + walking (to reduce dyspnea and improve physical activity/stept count; 2) resistance training (to reduce fatigue and improve role/social function; 3) mindfulness training (to reduce fear of cancer recurrence and anxiety)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Waitlist

8-week waiting period prior to targeted telerehabilitation

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Adult Veterans with a history of stage I-III A/B lung cancer, and
• Completed curative intent therapy (i.e., lung cancer resection surgery, definitive radiation, or concurrent chemoradiation) within 1-6 months

Exclusion Criteria

• Adult Veterans with any comorbid conditions that preclude participation in exercise and telerehabilitation:
• Orthopedic conditions (e.g., bilateral below-knee amputation), or
• Severe cardiopulmonary disease (e.g., unstable arrhythmias including ventricular tachycardia, heart failure with systolic ejection fraction < 25%, chronic hypoxemia needing > 5 L/min oxygen supplementation at rest), or
• Inability to follow directions or provide informed consent (e.g., moderate to severe dementia), or
• Enrolled in hospice, or
• With an estimated life expectancy of < 6 months

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

VA Office of Research and Development

FED

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Duc M. Ha, MD MAS

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO

Locations

Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO

Aurora, Colorado, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Duc M Ha, MD MAS

Role: CONTACT

Duc.Ha@va.gov

(240) 643-6872

Robert L Keith, MD

Role: CONTACT

robert.keith@va.gov

(720) 857-5120

Facility Contacts

Duc M Ha, MD MAS

Role: primary

Duc.Ha@va.gov

240-643-6872

References

Ha D, Ries AL, Lippman SM, Fuster MM. Effects of curative-intent lung cancer therapy on functional exercise capacity and patient-reported outcomes. Support Care Cancer. 2020 Oct;28(10):4707-4720. doi: 10.1007/s00520-020-05294-3. Epub 2020 Jan 21.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 31965306 (View on PubMed)

Ha D, Ries AL, Mazzone PJ, Lippman SM, Fuster MM. Exercise capacity and cancer-specific quality of life following curative intent treatment of stage I-IIIA lung cancer. Support Care Cancer. 2018 Jul;26(7):2459-2469. doi: 10.1007/s00520-018-4078-4. Epub 2018 Feb 10.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 29429006 (View on PubMed)

Ha D, Kerr J, Ries AL, Fuster MM, Lippman SM, Murphy JD. A Model-Based Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of an Exercise Program for Lung Cancer Survivors After Curative-Intent Treatment. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2020 Mar;99(3):233-240. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001281.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 31361623 (View on PubMed)

Ha DM, Zeng C, Chan ED, Gray M, Mazzone PJ, Samet JM, Steiner JF. Association of Exercise Behavior with Overall Survival in Stage I-IIIA Lung Cancer. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2021 Jun;18(6):1034-1042. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202003-235OC.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 33326358 (View on PubMed)

Ha DM, Prochazka AV, Bekelman DB, Stevens-Lapsley JE, Studts JL, Keith RL. Modifiable factors associated with health-related quality of life among lung cancer survivors following curative intent therapy. Lung Cancer. 2022 Jan;163:42-50. doi: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2021.11.012. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Ha DM, Comer A, Dollar B, Bedoy R, Ford M, Gozansky WS, Zeng C, Arch JJ, Leach HJ, Malhotra A, Prochazka AV, Keith RL, Boxer RS. Telemedicine-based inspiratory muscle training and walking promotion with lung cancer survivors following curative intent therapy: a parallel-group pilot randomized trial. Support Care Cancer. 2023 Sep 1;31(9):546. doi: 10.1007/s00520-023-07999-7.

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Ha DM, Nunnery MA, Klocko RP, Haverhals LM, Bekelman DB, New ML, Randhawa SK, Stevens-Lapsley JE, Studts JL, Prochazka AV, Keith RL. Lung cancer survivors' views on telerehabilitation following curative intent therapy: a formative qualitative study. BMJ Open. 2023 Jun 23;13(6):e073251. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073251.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Ha DM, Prochazka AV, Bekelman DB, Stevens-Lapsley JE, Chan ED, Keith RL. Association of Leisure-Time Physical Activity With Health-Related Quality of Life Among US Lung Cancer Survivors. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 2021 Jan 23;5(1):pkaa118. doi: 10.1093/jncics/pkaa118. eCollection 2021 Feb.

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Other Identifiers

RX003661

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

F3661-W

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id