title: Pedometer-facilitated walking intervention shows promising effectiveness for reducing cancer fatigue: a pilot randomized trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mechanisms for cancer related fatigue suggest that exercise but "not too much and not too little" could be effective. This study aimed to investigate feasibility and estimate the potential effects of a walking exercise program in people with advanced cancer and fatigue.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pilot randomized trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), Montreal, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  People with advanced cancer undergoing interdisciplinary assessment and rehabilitation with a fatigue level of 4 to 10 on a visual analogue scale.
  
  
  METHODS
  An 8-week fatigue-adapted, walking intervention, facilitated using a pedometer (STEPS), and offered at the same time as or after rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measures of fatigue, physical function and well-being were administered at entry, and 8, 16 and 24 weeks. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) estimated the odds of response for people receiving the STEPS program in comparison to the odds of response in the controls (odds ratio, OR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-six persons were randomized to three groups: during rehabilitation, after rehabilitation, and usual care. For the fatigue measures the OR for STEPS offered at any time using an intention-to-treat approach was 3.68 (95%CI: 1.05-12.88); for the physical function measures, the OR was 1.40 (95%CI: 0.41- 4.79) and 2.36 (95%CI: 0.66-8.51) for the well-being measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fifty percent of eligible people were able to participate. This small trial suggests that a personalized exercise program reduces fatigue and that 100 people are needed in a full strength trial.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University Health Center (MUHC), MUHC Research Institute, Canada nancy.mayo@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Nancy E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University Health Center (MUHC), MUHC Research Institute, Canada.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moriello
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University Health Center (MUHC), MUHC Research Institute, Canada.
authors.forename: Susan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine,The University of British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dawes
authors.affiliation: Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Auais
authors.affiliation: Division of Palliative Care, University of Ottawa, Canada.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chasen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011792:Quebec; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Cancer; exercise; fatigue; pedometers; personalized