Supervised Exercise Improves Patient-Reported Outcomes for Metastatic Breast Cancer

WEDNESDAY, March 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Supervised exercise during palliative treatment leads to beneficial effects on fatigue and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients with metastatic breast cancer, according to a study presented at the annual European Breast Cancer Conference, held from March 20 to 22 in Milan.

Anouk Hiensch, from University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, and colleagues assessed the effects of a nine-month supervised exercise program on fatigue, HRQoL, and cancer- and treatment-related adverse effects among subsets of 357 patients with metastatic breast cancer.

The researchers found that at six months, participation in the exercise program resulted in statistically significant positive effects on both primary outcomes versus usual care (physical fatigue: effect size, 0.22; HRQoL: effect size, 0.33). There were also positive effects on pain subscales (effect size, 0.28). There were no significant differences seen in these positive effects as a function of tumor receptor status or disease-free interval. Larger HRQoL effects were observed among patients who were younger (<50 years: +8.4 versus ≥50 years: +3.3) and those who reported pain above the clinically important threshold at baseline versus those without pain.

"Based on these findings, we recommend supervised exercise for all patients, and in particular those who report pain, as part of supportive care regimens during palliative treatment of metastatic breast cancer," the authors write.

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