Effects of resistance training on fatigue and quality of life in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Abstract

9534 Background: Breast cancer patients during and after radiotherapy often suffer from cancer-related fatigue which frequently impairs quality of life (QoL). Exercise may decrease fatigue and improve emotional well-being. However, studies on resistance training for patients during radiotherapy are scarce. Thus, we assessed the effects of a 12-week supervised resistance training intervention on fatigue and QoL in breast cancer patients during adjuvant radiotherapy within a randomized controlled trial. Methods: 160 patients (80/arm) with breast cancer stage 0-III undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy were randomly assigned to 12-weeks of progressive resistance training (2x/week) or group-based relaxation training (2x/week). The primary endpoint fatigue was assessed with the 20-item FAQ (0-10 scale), quality of life with the EORTC-QLQ-C30 and BR23 (0-100 scale). Statistical analyses were based on analysis of covariance models for the individual changes from pre- to post-intervention. Results: In intention-to-tre...