A pilot study of aerobic exercise performed in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy infusion.

Abstract

e19527 Background: Regular exercise mitigates some of the adverse side-effects (i.e. fatigue, nausea) in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Unfortunately, barriers such as access, motivation, and co-morbidities prevent many of these patients from beginning and adhering to exercise. To help facilitate exercise, this study describes the frequency of clinical events following a session of low level exercise cycle ergometry, performed while patients were simultaneously receiving their chemotherapy infusion. Methods: Breast cancer patients (n= 10, mean age=53, mean weight=92.2 kg, mean VO2= 19.7 ml kg−1 min−1) who were participating in the ExCITE (Exercise and Cancer Integrative Therapy and Education Program) trial at Henry Ford Hospital were offered the opportunity to perform mild exercise on a portable leg ergometry machine (Monarck) while receiving chemotherapy. This was in addition to a prescribed outpatient exercise program. Heart rate during infusion exercise was maintained approximately at 30-40% of heart rate reserve. All sessions were supervised by a clinical exercise physiologist. Differences in adverse clinical events following the infusion exercise session were compared to a standard infusion visit, in which no exercise occurred using a Pearson Chi- Square test. A chart review for significant clinical events occurring within 3 weeks of each infusion was performed by a nurse blinded to when exercise sessions occurred. Results: These 10 patients underwent 55 chemotherapy infusions; 18 conducted in conjunction with exercise and 37 without. Mean exercise duration = 16.4 minutes, mean work rate = 18 watts and mean heart rate = 24 beats above rest. Of those 18 infusion-exercise sessions, 2 adverse clinical events were reported within 3 weeks of the chemotherapy infusion (11%). In contrast, following standard chemotherapy sessions without exercise, adverse events were reported in 20 out of 37 visits (54%). This difference was significant (p = 0.002). Conclusions: These preliminary data indicate that performing mild exercise during chemotherapy infusion may be safe. However, further research is needed to determine if such an intervention might lessen chemotherapy-related clinical events. No significant financial relationships to disclose.