A pilot study of a supervised group exercise programme as a rehabilitation treatment for women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant treatment

Campbell, Anna; Mutrie, Nanette; White, Fiona; McGuire, Fiona; Kearney, Nora

Abstract

This pilot study examined whether exercise as an adjunctive rehabilitation therapy could benefit women who have early stage breast cancer and are currently receiving chemotherapy/radiotherapy. The study was designed as a randomised controlled trial (RCT). Physical functioning, fatigue and Quality of Life (QoL) outcomes were evaluated pre and post a 12-week intervention. The results showed that after 12 weeks the women who participated in the exercise programme (n=12) displayed significantly higher levels of physical functioning and reported higher QoL scores than the controls (n=10). Changes in fatigue and satisfaction with life favoured the intervention group but did not reach significance. These results are encouraging and suggest that a structured group exercise programme during adjuvant treatment is a safe, well tolerated and effective way of providing physical and psychological health benefits to women during treatment for early stage breast cancer. Since this was a pilot study the numbers did not allow appropriately powered analyses of some variables of interest and favoured relatively young and socio-economically advantaged women. Future studies need to address these issues and determine if these short-term benefits can be sustained.

Citation

Campbell, A., Mutrie, N., White, F., McGuire, F., & Kearney, N. (2005). A pilot study of a supervised group exercise programme as a rehabilitation treatment for women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant treatment. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 9(1), 56-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2004.03.007

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2005-03
• Deposit Date: Jul 26, 2016
• Journal: European Journal of Oncology Nursing
• Print ISSN: 1462-3889
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 56-63
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2004.03.007
• Keywords: Oncology(nursing); General Medicine
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/316852
• Related Public URLs: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462388904000250