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Physical exercise both during and after curative cancer treatment has been shown to reduce side effects. Evidence in the metastatic cancer setting is scarce, and interventions that improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are much needed for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The multinational randomized controlled PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial assessed the effects of exercise on fatigue and HRQOL in patients with MBC. In total, 357 patients with MBC and a life expectancy of ≥6 months but without unstable bone metastases were recruited at eight study centers across five European countries and Australia. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to usual care (control group, n= 179) or a 9-month supervised exercise program (exercise group, n= 178). Intervention effects on physical fatigue (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ)-FA12 scale) and HRQOL (EORTC QLQ-C30 summary score) were determined by comparing the change from baseline to 3, 6 (primary timepoint) and 9 months between groups using mixed models for repeated measures, adjusted for baseline values of the outcome, line of treatment (first or second versus third or higher) and study center. Exercise resulted in significant positive effects on both primary outcomes. Physical fatigue was significantly lower (−5.3 (95% confidence interval (CI), −10.0 to −0.6), Bonferroni–Holm-adjusted P= 0.027; Cohen's effect size, 0.22) and HRQOL significantly higher (4.8 (95% CI, 2.2–7.4), Bonferroni–Holm-adjusted P= 0.0003; effect size, 0.33) in the exercise group than in the control group at 6 months. Two serious adverse events occurred (that is, fractures), but both were not related to bone metastases. These results demonstrate that supervised exercise has positive effects on physical fatigue and HRQOL in patients with MBC and should be recommended as part of supportive care.

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text.Schlüter, K, Schneider, J, Rosenberger, F, and Wiskemann, J. Feasibility of high-intensity resistance training sessions in cancer survivors. J Strength Cond Res36(9): 2643–2652, 2022—Moderate-intensity resistance training (MIRT) is regarded as safe in cancer survivors (CS), but for high-intensity resistance training (HIRT), evidence is lacking. Hence, in the current exploratory analyses, single sessions of HIRT are compared with MIRT regarding safety and feasibility. Twenty-three of 24 included CS (14 breast and 10 prostate CS, 61.6 ± 9.5 years, body mass index 27.0 ± 4.3 kg·m−2, 6–52 weeks after end of primary therapy) started a 12-week resistance training (RT) with a daily undulating periodization model including HIRT (90% of 1 repetition maximum [1RM]) and MIRT (67% 1RM) sessions. Parameters of safety (adverse events [AEs] and training-related pain), feasibility (physical and mental exhaustion, sensation of effort, enjoyment, and dropout rate), and adherence were assessed. An alpha level of 0.05 was applied for analyses. Nineteen of 23 training starters (83%) completed all sessions. Fourteen minor AEs occurred. A significantly higher increase for physical exhaustion appeared in HIRT (p< 0.001). For 18% (HIRT) and 19% (MIRT) of the sessions, training-related pain was reported with no significant difference between intensities. In total, 34% of HIRT and 35% of MIRT sessions were perceived as overstraining or partly overstraining with no significant difference between intensities, but enjoyment (median and quartiles on a 1–7 scale) was high for both (HIRT = 5 [5;6] and MIRT = 5 [4,6]). Our analysis indicates that HIRT sessions do not differ from MIRT sessions concerning safety or feasibility, but training-related pain should be monitored. RT protocols incorporating high-intensity training loads can be applied safely in breast and prostate CS.

Exercise for people with bone metastases; best practice recommendations from multi-disciplinary international team. #exerciseoncology

Diverse internationale Fachgesellschaften unterstreichen inzwischen die Relevanz und das Potenzial von Sport- und Bewegungstherapie als unterstützende Ressource in der interdisziplinären onkologischen Versorgung. Bislang existieren allerdings noch keine entsprechenden Leitlinien. Die Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft hat daher nun die Arbeit an der S3-Leitlinie „Bewegungstherapie bei onkologischen Erkrankungen“ aufgenommen. Ziel dieser Guideline ist es, die Bewegungstherapie als integrativen Bestandteil einer interdisziplinären onkologischen Behandlung zu etablieren und zum abrechenbaren Standard zu machen. Die Leitlinie wird voraussichtlich Ende 2024/Anfang 2025 fertiggestellt sein.

SUMMARY As a consequence of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment side effects, many patients reduce their physical activity, resulting in physical deconditioning. However, it has been shown that both aerobic and resistance exercise are feasible and safe throughout the breast cancer continuum. Exercise can reduce fatigue, depression and anxiety, improve quality of life and self-esteem, as well as cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, physical functioning and body composition. In addition, as early-stage breast cancer patients may be at higher risk for cardiac events owing to cardiotoxic therapy, exercise can mitigate cardiovascular impairments. There is increasing evidence that higher physical activity levels are associated with improved overall survival after breast cancer; therefore, patients should receive support and be encouraged to engage in exercise training during and after cancer treatment.

Before, during, and after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), patients experience considerable physical and psychologic distress. Besides graft-versus-host disease and infections, reduced physical performance and high levels of fatigue affect patients' quality of life. This multicenter randomized controlled trial examined the effects of a partly self-administered exercise intervention before, during, and after allo-HSCT on these side effects. After randomization to an exercise and a social contact control group 105 patients trained in a home-based setting before hospital admission, during inpatient treatment and a 6- to 8-week period after discharge. Fatigue, physical performance, quality of life, and physical/psychologic distress were measured by standardized instruments at baseline, admission to, and discharge from hospital and 6 to 8 weeks after discharge. The exercise group showed significantly improvement in fatigue scores (up to 15% improvement in exercise group vs up to 28% deterioration in control; P < .01-.03), physical fitness/functioning (P = .02-.03) and global distress (P = .03). All effects were at least detectable at one assessment time point after hospitalization or repeatedly. Physical fitness correlated significantly with all reported symptoms/variables. In conclusion, this partly supervised exercise intervention is beneficial for patients undergoing allo-HSCT. Because of low personnel requirements, it might be valuable to integrate such a program into standard medical care.

Before, during, and after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), patients experience considerable physical and psychologic distress. Besides graft-versus-host disease and infections, reduced physical performance and high levels of fatigue affect patients' quality of life. This multicenter randomized controlled trial examined the effects of a partly self-administered exercise intervention before, during, and after allo-HSCT on these side effects. After randomization to an exercise and a social contact control group 105 patients trained in a home-based setting before hospital admission, during inpatient treatment and a 6- to 8-week period after discharge. Fatigue, physical performance, quality of life, and physical/psychologic distress were measured by standardized instruments at baseline, admission to, and discharge from hospital and 6 to 8 weeks after discharge. The exercise group showed significantly improvement in fatigue scores (up to 15% improvement in exercise group vs up to 28% deterioration in control; P< .01-.03), physical fitness/functioning (P= .02-.03) and global distress (P= .03). All effects were at least detectable at one assessment time point after hospitalization or repeatedly. Physical fitness correlated significantly with all reported symptoms/variables. In conclusion, this partly supervised exercise intervention is beneficial for patients undergoing allo-HSCT. Because of low personnel requirements, it might be valuable to integrate such a program into standard medical care.

•What is already known ?Highly sensitive biomarkers modifiable by life style factors (physical activity) such as 8-oxo-2’deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) and prostaglandins (to a lesser degree) may quantitatively reflect individual tumor risk and therefore be important in individuals with elevated risk for malignancies particulaly colorectal cancer (CRC) such as patients with long-standing type 2 diabetes in which elevated urinary excretion levels of 8-oxo-dG have been found.•What is the aim of this study?To further evaluate the role of tumor risk biomarkers in a defined clinical setting with regard to physical activity and other clinical and metabolic parameters by comparing urinary excretion of risk biomarkers in patients with type 2 diabetes (moderate CRC risk) and those with curatively treated CRC (high risk of recurrence)•What is new ?Clinical setting with comparison of 8-oxo-dG excretion in patient groups with different tumor risks•Compared to controls urinary excretion of 8-oxo-dG in CRC patients was 83.6 % higher (p<0.0001), in type 2 diabetes this excretion was 33.7% higher (p=0.01) placing type 2 diabetes in between the CRC and control group (average risk). There was a positive correlation with the BMI (p=0.04), but no significant corrrelation with the levels of physical activity and other clinical and laboratory parameters (HbA1c, fasting postprandial glucose). Prostaglandins were not different in all study groups.•Quantitative biomarker data are potentially important in management and prevention programs in risk groups particularly type 2 diabetes. One important clinical application would be the implementation of such biomarker data into risk prediction models to improve accuracy.

ObjectiveTo optimally target exercise interventions for patients with cancer, it is important to identify which patients benefit from which interventions.DesignWe conducted an individual patient data meta-analysis to investigate demographic, clinical, intervention-related and exercise-related moderators of exercise intervention effects on physical fitness in patients with cancer.Data sourcesWe identified relevant studies via systematic searches in electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL).Eligibility criteriaWe analysed data from 28 randomised controlled trials investigating the effects of exercise on upper body muscle strength (UBMS) and lower body muscle strength (LBMS), lower body muscle function (LBMF) and aerobic fitness in adult patients with cancer.ResultsExercise significantly improved UBMS (β=0.20, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.14 to 0.26), LBMS (β=0.29, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.35), LBMF (β=0.16, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.24) and aerobic fitness (β=0.28, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.34), with larger effects for supervised interventions. Exercise effects on UBMS were larger during treatment, when supervised interventions included ≥3 sessions per week, when resistance exercises were included and when session duration was >60 min. Exercise effects on LBMS were larger for patients who were living alone, for supervised interventions including resistance exercise and when session duration was >60 min. Exercise effects on aerobic fitness were larger for younger patients and when supervised interventions included aerobic exercise.ConclusionExercise interventions during and following cancer treatment had small effects on UBMS, LBMS, LBMF and aerobic fitness. Demographic, intervention-related and exercise-related characteristics including age, marital status, intervention timing, delivery mode and frequency and type and time of exercise sessions moderated the exercise effect on UBMS, LBMS and aerobic fitness.