Physical activity platform to improve bone health in cancer survivors.

Abstract

TPS11632 Background: Cancer treatment-induced bone loss and the subsequent risk of fractures in both men and women is a significant burden on national health care. US cancer survivors will reach 18 million by 2022 and by 2025 and the projected burden of osteoporosis is $25.3B. Cancer patients treated with medications that lower hormone levels face an increased risk of fractures. Clinical studies report that moderate-intensity resistance exercises prevent a decline in bone health in female cancer survivors, and that strength training may reduce complications such as fatigue, muscle wasting, and bone loss. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of female cancer survivors engage in and adhere to a strength training exercise routine. Several factors account for this low level of engagement such as poor awareness of the benefits of exercise, lack of motivation, and the lack of affordable and easily accessible exercise programs designed for cancer survivors. Internet-based self-managed programs of exercises and guidance can potentially address these problems, and can be scaled for broader dissemination. Methods: The Thrivors platform seeks to shift the current paradigm of poor adherence to exercise by providing an affordable and accessible means of improving outcomes for cancer survivors. Thrivors plus Bone Health (Thrivors+BH), will be a first-of-its-kind offering of clinically validated bone health exercises that can be customized to a cancer survivor's pain and energy levels, with several novel interactive feedback features. The product has supportive modules for connecting with a community of other users, mindfulness training, nutritional advice and educational information. The Thrivors platform is scalable, device-agnostic, and allows analysis of de-identified usage data. The two versions of the platform will be deployed in a 20-week, two-arm randomized controlled trial of 50 breast cancer survivors. Adherence to exercise sessions (primary outcome) and platform usage will be measured by platform software, while user engagement (secondary outcomes) will be assessed by surveys. Differences between primary and secondary outcomes for the control and intervention groups will be evaluated. Usage statistics, motivational responses and user feedback will be used to further refine platform features and content. Clinical trial information: NCT03651037.