Abstract PD08-08: Exercise for Health: A Randomised, Controlled Trial of an Exercise Intervention for Women with Breast Cancer — Effect on Upper-Body Function

Abstract Background: Impairments in upper-body function are common during and following breast cancer and may persist into long-term survivorship. An objective of the Exercise for Health program was to assess the effect participation in an 8 month exercise program (initiated 6 weeks after breast cancer surgery) has on upper-body function and associated symptoms. Methods: Women residing in an Australian metropolitan city and diagnosed with invasive breast cancer were eligible to participate in this randomised, controlled trial. Consenting women were allocated to either a face-to-face delivered exercise group (FG, n=67), a telephone-delivered exercise group (TG, n=67) or a usual-care group (UG, n=60). At 6 weeks (pre-intervention), 6 months (mid-intervention) and 12 months (postintervention) after surgery upper-body function was assessed via self-report using the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire and clinically using an incremental maximal upper-body strength test. The presence and severity of upper-body symptoms such as pain, weakness and numbness were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale, while lymphoedema was measured clinically using bioimpedance spectroscopy. Results: Women in the exercise intervention groups reported greater improvements (p=0.02) in perceived upper-body function (indicated by negative scores) between 6 weeks and 6 months post-surgery, (FG, mean=-6.3; TG, mean=-11.9) when compared to changes observed in the UG (mean=-4.2) and maintained these improvements by 12-months PS. Similar findings were observed for clinically measured upper-body function (P<0.01). At 12 months post-surgery, those in the UG were 1.5 times more likely to report at least one moderate to severe upper-body function symptom. The number of lymphoedema cases did not differ between the groups at mid-or post-intervention. Discussion: These results demonstrate that exercise interventions, delivered over the phone or face-to-face, can facilitate improvements in upper-body function during and following breast cancer treatment without adversely increasing risk of developing lymphoedema or other arm-related symptoms. This is particularly important since function is directly associated with a woman's ability to carry out daily tasks and has been shown to predict quality of life. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr PD08-08.