Physical Activity Promotion for Breast and Endometrial Cancer Survivors

Multi-site Adaptive Trial of a Technology-based, EHR-integrated Physical Activity Intervention in Breast and Endometrial Cancer Survivors

Many breast and endometrial cancer survivors do not get enough physical activity. Technology-based interventions can be inexpensive and easy to scale up, however they are not effective for all women. The purpose of this study is test an adaptive physical activity intervention approach that reserves the most resources and support for women who do not fare well with a lower-cost, minimal intervention. The results from this trial will inform the development of scalable physical activity interventions for breast and endometrial cancer survivors.

There are 3,000,000 breast and 760,000 endometrial cancer survivors in the US and these populations will grow 30% by 2026. Increased moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) is consistently associated with enhanced quality of life, reduced chronic disease risk, and improved cancer prognosis in these survivors yet 70-90% fail to engage in the 150 minutes/week of MVPA recommended by the American Cancer Society. Unfortunately, since physical activity support is not a part of standard survivorship care, few survivors have access to efficacious MVPA interventions. A key barrier to translation of MVPA promotion into care is the design of existing programs, which are resource-intensive, costly, and deliver multiple components (i.e., coaching calls, supervised exercise) simultaneously to all participants. This "one-size-fits-all" approach does not account for individual needs, nor can it realistically be implemented into care. Thus there is a critical need for effective, scalable interventions that efficiently allocate resources to meet each woman's needs.

An adaptive approach that tries minimal, low resource treatments (i.e., technology tools) for everyone first, and reserves the use of higher-resource components (e.g., coaching) for survivors who fail to increase MVPA, offers a promising alternative to traditional approaches. This engages women who lack the time or transportation to participate in more intensive interventions, yet avoids providing high-resource components to those who would respond well to a lower-dose intervention. Success with integrating Fitbit MVPA data into the electronic health record (EHR) with the capability to provide weekly progress feedback to participants via the EHR's patient portal represents a relatively low resource (vs. coaching or supervised exercise) and potentially efficacious minimal intervention that could be augmented as needed. Placement of the intervention within the EHR is a major advance because it communicates that MVPA is central to survivors' health and is a priority of the cancer care team. Clinicians can be engaged to ensure the intervention is viewed as integral to survivorship care with minimal burden by referring patients to an EHR-based intervention, endorsing intervention messages delivered via the EHR and reviewing a patient's progress at their clinic visits using simple EHR alerts.

While the Fitbit plus EHR integration (Fitbit+EHR) minimal intervention will be sufficient for some survivors to increase their MVPA, others will need more support. Little data exists to determine what strategies would be most effective for augmenting a minimal intervention. Further, it is unknown how long the minimal intervention should be continued before augmentations are used. Some survivors may need more support early on, while others may initially succeed but later fail as the weekly MVPA goal increases. Still others may falter initially and recover.

This project uses an innovative adaptive experimental approach, to determine the optimal augmentation tactics to the minimal (Fitbit+EHR) MVPA intervention in inactive breast and endometrial cancer survivors (n=320). All women will receive the Fitbit+EHR intervention. Those who do not respond (meet ≤80% of MVPA goal over previous 4 weeks) will be randomized to one of two more intensive augmentation tactics using technology, alone, or in combination with a more traditional component: (1) online gym with access to exercise videos or (2) coaching calls. Participants in the minimal intervention will be evaluated for non-response every 4 weeks so augmentation is delivered when they lapse. Responders will continue with the minimal intervention. The primary outcome is accelerometer-measured weekly minutes of MVPA at 6 months, 12 months, and 30 months. The investigator will also examine the effects of the intervention sequences on symptom burden and functional performance, important indicators of morbidity in these populations.

This is the first systematic effort to develop an adaptive MVPA intervention in any cancer population. Knowledge gained from this study will inform the development of effective, scalable clinic-based interventions to improve quality of life and reduce disease burden among breast and endometrial cancer survivors.

[Protocol Amendment approved on 5/24/2023 added a 30 month time point to data collection.]

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female adult (≥18 years of age)

• Diagnosis of Stage I-III breast or Stage I-II Type 1 endometrial cancer within the past 5 years.

• At least 3 months past completion of primary active treatment (i.e., surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation). May still be undergoing endocrine or Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) therapies.

• Insufficiently active, defined as ≤60 min/week of MVPA, performed in bouts of ≥10 minutes.This is 40% of the recommended amount of MVPA based on the 2008 Federal Guidelines and the American Cancer Society's guidelines for cancer survivors. The 7-Day Recall will be used to screen for physical activity; eligibility will be confirmed prior to randomization using the ActiGraph accelerometer.

• Able to access high-speed Internet daily at home on a computer, smartphone, or tablet. Internet access may be through a household connection or a wireless provider (e.g., Verizon, AT&T). For compatibility with the Fitbit, the device must run a Windows, Apple, or Android operating system.

• Have a MyChart account or be willing to create one.

• Fluent in spoken and written English language.

• For safety, participants will be screened using the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) and the Falls Risk Screener, which address joint and cardiovascular problems, balance issues, and other concerns. Physician consent will be obtained for all participants who meet the following criteria:

  • Answer yes to ≥1 question on the PAR-Q OR
  • Answer yes to ≥4 questions on the Falls Risk Screener

• Willing and able to attend study visits at the University of Wisconsin, Madison or Northwestern University, Chicago

• Own and can use a smartphone

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any absolute contraindications to exercise (i.e. acute myocardial infarction, severe orthopedic conditions), metastatic disease or planned elective surgery during intervention/ follow-up.
• Self-reported difficulty transitioning walking 1 block (as a proxy measure of basic physical functioning), or inability to work towards the intervention goals
• Plans to become pregnant or to move from the area within the next two years
• Current enrollment in another dietary or physical activity trial