Do Breast Cancer Patients Manage to Participate in an Outdoor, Tailored, Physical Activity Program during Adjuvant Breast Cancer Treatment, Independent of Health and Socio-Demographic Characteristics?

Exercise could reduce the side-effects of adjuvant breast cancer treatment; however, socio-demographic, health, and intervention conditions may affect patients' adherence to interventions. This study aimed to examine adherence to a 12-month outdoor post-surgery exercise program among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients during adjuvant treatment, and to identify socio-demographic and health-related predictors. In total, 47 women with invasive breast cancer stage I-II or ductal/lobular carcinoma grade 3 were included pre-surgery and randomized two weeks post-surgery to exercise (2 × 60 min/week). Patient characteristics (body-mass index (BMI), socioeconomic status, comorbidity, physical activity, and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max)) were recorded pre-surgery. Correlations between adherence and patient characteristics and statistics for between-group differences were performed. The mean age was 54.2 years, mean BMI 27.8 kg/m2, and 54.2% received chemotherapy. Completers had a mean adherence of 81%, independent of season. Withdrawals (23%) occurred after a mean of 6.5 weeks (0-24 weeks), they were suggestively older, had lower socioeconomic status and pre-surgery VO2max, and higher BMI. Household income was significantly lower among withdrawals. There were insignificant correlations between adherence and health conditions. High adherence is achievable in a Nordic outdoor physical exercise program in breast cancer patients during adjuvant treatment, including chemotherapy. Additional studies are needed to clarify follow-up needs in some groups.

Individually tailored self-management app-based intervention (selfBACK) versus a self-management web-based intervention (e-Help) or usual care in people with low back and neck pain referred to secondary care: protocol for a multiarm randomised clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Low back pain (LBP) and neck pain (NP) are common and costly conditions. Self-management is a key element in the care of persistent LBP and NP. Artificial intelligence can be used to support and tailor self-management interventions, but their effectiveness needs to be ascertained. The aims of this trial are (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of an individually tailored app-based self-management intervention (selfBACK) adjunct to usual care in people with LBP and/or NP in secondary care compared with usual care only, and (2) to compare the effectiveness of selfBACK with a web-based self-management intervention without individual tailoring (e-Help). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a randomised, assessor-blind clinical trial with three parallel arms: (1) selfBACK app adjunct to usual care; (2) e-Help website adjunct to usual care and (3) usual care only. Patients referred to St Olavs Hospital, Trondheim (Norway) with LBP and/or NP and accepted for assessment/treatment at the multidisciplinary outpatient clinic for back or neck rehabilitation are invited to the study. Eligible and consenting participants are randomised to one of the three arms with equal allocation ratio. We aim to include 279 participants (93 in each arm). Outcome variables are assessed at baseline (before randomisation) and at 6-week, 3-month and 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome is musculoskeletal health measured by the Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire at 3 months. A mixed-methods process evaluation will document patients' and clinicians' experiences with the interventions. A health economic evaluation will estimate the cost-effectiveness of both interventions' adjunct to usual care. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The trial is approved by the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics in Central Norway (Ref. 2019/64084). The results of the trial will be published in peer-review journals and presentations at national and international conferences relevant to this topic. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04463043.

Effects of a 1-Year Physical Activity Intervention on Markers of Hemostasis among Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction Physical activity may reduce the development of breast cancer. Whereas hypercoagulability has been linked to adverse outcomes in breast cancer patients, the effects of physical activity on their hemostatic factors are unknown. The study aimed to assess whether long-term (1 year) physical activity can affect hemostatic factors in breast cancer patients. Methods Fifty-five women (35-75 years) with invasive breast cancer stage I/II were randomized to a physical activity intervention ( n = 29) lasting 1 year or to a control group ( n = 26), and analyzed as intention to treat. Fibrinogen, factor VII antigen, tissue factor pathway inhibitor, and von Willebrand factor (VWF) antigen as well as prothrombin fragment 1 + 2, the endogenous thrombin potential and D-dimer, were measured in plasma before intervention (baseline), and then after 6 and 12 months. Results Maximal oxygen uptake (measure of cardiorespiratory fitness) decreased the first 6 months among the controls, but remained stable in the intervention group. We found no significant differences between the two study groups regarding any of the hemostatic factors, except a significantly higher increase in factor VII antigen in the intervention group. The effect of the intervention on VWF was, however, significantly affected by menopausal stage, and a significant effect of the intervention was found on VWF among postmenopausal women, even after adjustment for dietary intake. Conclusion Long-term physical activity had no effect on the majority of the hemostatic factors measured, but led to increased plasma concentrations of factor VII antigen and prevented an increase in VWF concentration after breast cancer treatment in postmenopausal women. The clinical impact of these findings for risk of vascular thrombosis warrants further studies.