Exercise as Medicine for People With Cancer Sweden

EX-MED Cancer Sweden: A Randomised Controlled Trial of Distance-based Exercise for People Treated for Cancer

Regular exercise has been shown to have beneficial health effects in cancer survivors, including improving quality of life and other important health outcomes. However, providing people with cancer with easily accessible, high-quality exercise support and programs is a challenge. Therefore, there is a need to develop easily accessible exercise programs that draw upon the current evidence. Supervised, distance-based exercise programs have the benefit of reaching out to many people while providing the support of an exercise professional.

The aim of the EX-MED Cancer Sweden trial is to examine the effectiveness of a supervised, distance-based exercise program, in people previously treated for breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer, on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), as well as other physiological and patient-reported health outcomes. Participants will be randomized to a 3-month supervised, distance-based exercise program or to a usual care control group.

Testing timepoints are baseline, 3 months (end of intervention) and 6 months (3 month followup). At these timepoints, patients will be asked to fill in online questionaires, and and undergo physical tests. A selection of the particpants and personal trainers involved in the intervention will also be invited to participate in focus group discussion or interviews about the experiences of being involved in the EX-MED Cancer Sweden program.

The primary aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of EX-MED Cancer Sweden on health-related quality of life in people diagnosed with breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer.

The secondary aims are to examine the effect of the program on other important endpoints such as physical activity level, physical function, muscle strength, exercise capacity, symptoms, and body composition (lean and fat mass).

To determine the sustainability of the effects of the supervised program, the study includes a 3-month follow-up time point (6 months post-baseline)

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years or older
• males or females
• people diagnosed with any type of stage I-IIIa breast, prostate or colorectal cancer who have undergone and completed curative treatment (note: participants are eligible if they are currently receiving/scheduled to receive anti-hormonal therapy) at the Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Sweden

Exclusion Criteria:

• currently receiving or scheduled to receive cancer treatment (except anti-hormonal therapy)
• any medical conditions that may prevent safe participation in the testing or exercise demands of the study
• performing regular exercise throughout the last month defined as undertaking at least 150 mins moderate intensity aerobic exercise and two or more structured resistance exercise sessions per week
• unable to read and speak Swedish.