THE IMPACT OF A CANCER EXERCISE PROGRAM LOCATED WITHIN A HEALTH SYSTEM ON BODY COMPOSITION, FATIGUE, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION IN ADULTS WITH CANCER

Abstract

Background Despite exercise being regularly recommended for individuals with cancer, notable and consistent gaps remain in the design, utilization and uptake of cancer exercise services embedded into healthcare. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a longstanding, cancer center-embedded, cancer exercise program (the Moving On Program) within the Prisma Health Cancer Institute, on body composition, fatigue, and physical function in adult survivors of cancer. Materials and Methods Moving On, is a 12-week, thrice weekly, aerobic and resistance exercise program designed for adults who complete their primary treatment for any cancer diagnosis at Prisma Health. In a retrospective analysis of data collected between 2014 and 2020, we assessed changes in body composition, fatigue and physical function (6-minute walk test (6MWT)) at baseline and follow-up using paired t-tests. A Bonferroni adjustment (α=0.05/10=0.005) was used to reduce the chance of committing a type I error. Results Participants who completed both baseline and follow up assessments were included in our analyses (n=369, mean=60.3 10.6 years, male=111, female=258). The most prevalent cancer sites were breast cancer (32%) and blood/lymphoma (9.7%). Individuals exhibited signi cant improvements in body composition variables (arm lean mass (p=0.003, ES=0.158), total % fat (p<0.001, ES=0.199), total fat mass (p<0.001, ES=0.203), and total lean mass (p=0.005, ES=0.148)), fatigue (p<0.001, ES=0.605), and 6MWT (p<0.001, ES=1.032). Conclusions Though statistically signi cant improvements were exhibited in a variety of body composition variables; the small effect sizes accompanying these changes suggest that improvements made across 12-weeks are trivial. The medium and large effect sizes accompanying improvements in fatigue and physical function support that participation in an exercise program can attenuate treatment-related side effects after treatment for cancer.

Keywords

• exercise
• rehabilitation
• cancer survivors
• physical function
• survivorship