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Breast CancerSPARCCNCT03980626

Study on Physical Activity's Relationship With Cancer and Cognition

A study testing Walking in people with Breast Cancer and Breast Neoplasm Female, run by University of Nebraska at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This pilot study tests the effects of aerobic exercise training on cognitive function in breast cancer survivors (BCS). Participants will be randomized to a 12-week walking intervention or usual care. Walking participants will attend small group sessions led by an exercise specialist 3 times weekly. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any age, women only
Conditions the study is for
Breast Cancer, Breast Neoplasm Female
What is being tested?
Walking
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
31 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
30 Sep 2019to 15 Jul 2021
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Female
  • Post-menopausal at time of diagnosis
  • First, primary diagnosis of Stage I-IIIa breast cancer
  • Completed treatment 3-24 months prior to study start
  • Available to attend exercise sessions 3 times weekly for 12 weeks
  • No scheduled travel >7 consecutive days during the intervention
Show all 11Show fewer
  • Agree to be randomized
  • Willingness to wear, charge, and sync Fitbit
  • English reading and speaking
  • Physician's clearance to exercise
  • Provide written informed consent

Who cannot join

  • Males
  • Pre- or peri-menopausal at the time of diagnosis
  • Stage 0 or metastatic disease
  • Currently receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy
  • More than 24 months post-treatment
  • Scheduled to receive breast surgery
Show all 18Show fewer
  • Second cancer diagnosis (excluding non-invasive skin cancers)
  • Self-report an average of ≥60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA) per week for the previous 6 months
  • Not cleared to exercise by a physician
  • Not available to attend 3 times weekly exercise sessions for 12 weeks
  • Out of town travel scheduled for >1 week during the intervention
  • Unwilling to complete baseline assessments
  • Unwilling to be randomized to the exercise or control group
  • Unwilling to wear, charge, and sync the Fitbit during the study period
  • Unable to read and speak in English
  • Unwilling to provide written informed consent to participate
  • Cognitive impairment prior to baseline assessment
  • History of stroke, transient ischemic attack, other neurological disorders, or brain surgery involving tissue removal

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Nebraska Medical Center

    Omaha, Nebraska, 68198-8440

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Study on Physical Activity's Relationship With Cancer and Cognition: A Pilot Randomized Trial

This pilot study tests the effects of aerobic exercise training on cognitive function in breast cancer survivors (BCS). Participants will be randomized to a 12-week walking intervention or usual care. Walking participants will attend small group sessions led by an exercise specialist 3 times weekly. Usual care participants will complete baseline and post-testing and be offered two sessions with an exercise specialist. All participants will complete a fitness test, electrophysiology, and patient-reported outcomes at baseline and post-intervention. A subset of participants will also be invited to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The investigators will generate preliminary data on clinical and biological correlates of exercise and cognition, including treatment protocol, cardiorespiratory fitness, brain structure and function, and cancer-related fatigue.

Read the detailed description

Aim 1: This pilot study tests the effects of aerobic exercise training on cognitive function in breast cancer survivors (BCS). To test aim 1, the investigators will randomize up to forty post-menopausal BCS (3-24 months post-treatment) to a 12-week walking intervention (n=20) or usual care (n=20). Walking participants will attend small group (n=3-5 BCS) sessions led by an exercise specialist 3 times weekly. Usual care participants will complete baseline and post-testing and be offered two sessions with an exercise specialist after all data have been collected. Aim 1 measures include accelerometry, neurocognitive testing, and patient-reported outcomes at baseline and post-intervention.

Aim 2: The investigators will generate preliminary data on clinical and biological correlates of exercise and cognition, including treatment protocol, cardiorespiratory fitness, brain structure and function, and cancer-related fatigue. To test aim 2, all participants will complete a fitness test, electrophysiology, and patient-reported outcomes at baseline and post-intervention. A subset of participants will also be invited to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance, and effect sizes expressed as standard mean difference will be calculated.

Being tested
Walking
Keywords
physical activity, exercise, cognition, brain health, breast cancer
Medical subject headings
Breast Neoplasms, Motor Activity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • WalkingBehavioural

    Also called Aerobic Exercise Training

    The exercise intervention is designed to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, a known correlate of cognition and brain health, and follows the American College of Sports Medicine exercise guidelines for cancer survivors. Participants will engage in small group, moderate-to-vigorous intensity walking sessions three times weekly. Sessions will begin with a warm-up and end with a cool down and be progressive in nature. Volume of exercise will increase across weeks such that participants will progress from 15-20 minutes of walking to 40-45 minutes by week 8, and from 40-55% of their estimated heart rate reserve (HRR) to 65% of their HRR by week 9. All sessions will be led by trained exercise specialists to ensure close monitoring of participant safety. Participants will wear heart rate monitors and be asked to rate their perceived exertion to ensure they are exercising within the prescribed range. Modifications to each participant's exercise prescription will be made as needed.

Study groups in NCT03980626
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Walking InterventionExperimentalWalking participants will engage in the 3-times weekly walking program for 12 weeks.
Receives: Behavioral: Walking
Usual CareNo interventionUsual care participants will be offered two personalized exercise sessions with a trained exercise specialist after all post-intervention data have been collected.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Executive Function

    A comprehensive neurocognitive battery will be administered to measure executive function as defined by a latent factor of manifest indicators of performance on executive function tasks.

    Measured: Baseline, Week 12

  2. Change in Working Memory

    A comprehensive neurocognitive battery will be administered to measure working memory as defined by a latent factor of manifest indicators of performance on working memory tasks.

    Measured: Baseline, Week 12

  3. Change in Processing Speed

    A comprehensive neurocognitive battery will be administered to measure processing speed as defined by a latent factor of manifest indicators of processing speed tasks.

    Measured: Baseline, Week 12

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Regional brain volume

    Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) will be used to measure regional volume.

    Measured: Baseline, Week 12

  2. White matter structural integrity

    Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) will be used to measure white matter structural integrity (fractional anisotropy, diffusivity).

    Measured: Baseline, Week 12

  3. Resting state functional connectivity

    Resting state function MRI will be used to measure resting state functional connectivity (patterns of blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) activity within seed regions of interest compared to whole brain activity).

    Measured: Baseline, Week 12

  4. N2pc Amplitude

    N2pc amplitude is a neural measure of spacial attention during the Visual Search Task (measured in microvolts) to be measured with electroencephalography (Visual Search Task, Change Detections Task).

    Measured: Baseline, Week 12

  5. Cardiorespiratory Fitness

    Fitness will be measured with a submaximal exercise test. The Naughton Protocol for submaximal graded exercise tests will be used to examine change in cardiovascular fitness.

    Measured: Baseline, Week 12

  6. Cancer-related Fatigue

    The Functional Assessment in Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) - Fatigue Scale will be used to measure cancer-related fatigue. Scores range from 0-52, with higher scores indicating less cancer-related fatigue.

    Measured: Baseline, Week 12

  7. Objective Activity Behavior

    Objective activity behavior (average minutes per day) will be measured using actigraphy.

    Measured: Baseline, Week 12

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Jun 2019
  2. Study start30 Sep 2019
  3. Primary completion15 Jul 2021
  4. Study completion15 Jul 2021

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
31 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03980626
Sponsor's protocol ID
0091-19-FB
Acronym
SPARCC
Status last verified
Aug 2024
First submitted
28 May 2019
Last updated
5 Sep 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: De-identified data will be available upon request as required by journal publishers during dissemination phase of the study.

Publications

  • Page LL, Fanning J, Phipps C, Berger A, Reed E, Ehlers D. Heart Rate Monitoring Among Breast Cancer Survivors: Quantitative Study of Device Agreement in a Community-Based Exercise Program. JMIR Cancer. 2024 Jun 20;10:e51210. doi: 10.2196/51210.

    PubMed 38900505

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Walking in people with Breast Cancer and Breast Neoplasm Female, run by University of Nebraska at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 11 inclusion and 18 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Sep 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in Executive Function (time frame: Baseline, Week 12). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03980626, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Sep 2024.

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