title: Effects of a combined aerobic and resistance exercise program in breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: Few randomized controlled trials have examined the effects of combined aerobic and resistance training in breast cancer survivors soon after completing adjuvant therapy. Breast cancer survivors (N=58) within 2 years of completing adjuvant therapy were randomly assigned to an immediate exercise group (IEG; n=29) or a delayed exercise group (DEG; n=29). The IEG completed 12 weeks of supervised aerobic and resistance exercise, three times per week. The DEG completed the program during the next 12 weeks. Participants completed patient-rated outcomes at baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall quality of life (QoL) measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast scale. Secondary endpoints were fatigue, social physique anxiety, and physical fitness. Follow-up data was obtained on 97% of participants and exercise adherence was 61.3%. Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed a significant group by time interaction for overall QoL (P<0.001). Specifically, QoL increased in the IEG from baseline to 12 weeks by 20.8 points compared to a decrease in the DEG of 5.3 points (mean group difference=26.1; 95% CI=18.3-32.7; P<0.001). From 12 to 24 weeks, QoL increased in the DEG by 29.5 points compared to an increase of 6.5 points in the IEG (mean group difference=23.0; 95% CI=16.3-29.1; P<0.001). Similar results were obtained for the secondary endpoints. Combined aerobic and resistance exercise soon after the completion of breast cancer therapy produces large and rapid improvements in health-related outcomes.
authors.affiliation: School of Human Movement and Exercise Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. helenmilne@ekit.com
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Milne
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Wallman
authors.forename: Sandy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: Kerry S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Courneya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control; D001828:Body Image; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005221:Fatigue / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome