Supervised exercise for older women treated for breast cancer. Preliminary results from a pilot randomised controlled trial

Background: There is compelling evidence of the benefits of exercise in cancers survivors and older populations but very limited research on exercise interventions conducted with older breast cancer survivors. Aims: The study investigated whether a supervised exercise intervention (1 x week) and home based (2 x week) lasting 12-weeks with older women treated for breast cancer (>60 years) during and post-adjuvant therapy improved functional capacity (walking ability), body composition, quality of life (QoL) and levels of physical activity over 12 months. Methods: A pilot randomised controlled trial assigned 35 recently diagnosed female breast cancer patients (mean = 67 years; SD = 5.02) to either a supervised exercise intervention (n = 17) or a control group (n = 18). Outcome measures were assessed at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Results: Preliminary analyses of walking distance, body composition and physical activity for the first 3 months of the study were conducted. The intervention group significantly increased their walking distance (p<0.001) and their physical activity levels (p<0.05) but there were no significant differences in body composition between groups. The control group also significantly increased their walking distance (p<0.01). Conclusion: The intervention group significantly improved walking distance and daily levels of physical activity over 3 months with no adverse events reported. It will be interesting to observe whether these changes can be maintained to have a positive effect on health, functional capacity and QoL and whether this increase in daily physical activity levels will have any effect on body composition