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Lung CancerSOARNCT05509751

The SOAR Study: a Study of Geriatric Assessment and Exercise for Older Adults and Their Support Person

A study testing GAM, exercise, health education and online chair-based exercise combined with health education in people with Lung Cancer and Gastro-intestinal Cancer, run by Martine Puts at 2 sites in Canada.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

Phase 2 randomized controlled study using a waitlist control group. The study also has a single arm pre-post test 12-week chair-based exercise arm for those who have received the geriatric assessment in the older adults with cancer clinic (geriatric oncology clinic). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 65 years and older
What is being tested?
GAM, exercise, health education and online chair-based exercise combined with health education
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
60 participants
Where
2 sitesCanada
Study dates
1 Oct 2023to 1 Dec 2026
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 65 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Aged 65+ years.
  • Diagnosed with lung, gastrointestinal (GI) , breast, Gynecologic or Genitourinary (GU) cancer or lymphoma who are referred for chemotherapy or immunotherapy and have not received > 4 weeks of systemic treatment.
  • 4) Have a physician estimated life expectancy of >6 months. 5) Be physically inactive (no more than 90 min moderate to vigorous activity per week as per GLTEQ and do not currently meet the recommended physical activity volume of 90 min of aerobic exercise/week).
  • 6) Able to speak and understand English. 7) Able to give informed consent. 8) Are considered safe to participate in the weekly classes as per their treating oncologist.
  • Eligible support persons are:
  • Identified by the older adult as their support person.
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Aged 18 years and over.
  • Able to speak and understand English.
  • Able to give informed consent.

Who cannot join

  • Severe neuropsychiatric abnormalities (e.g., moderate-severe dementia) per the treating physician; and
  • Clinic visit with a geriatrician in the previous 12 months (they have already received part of the intervention).
  • Chest tube in-situ.
  • Not able to give informed consent.

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

Canada2 sites
  • Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

    Toronto, Ontario, M5G2C4

  • Sunybrook Health Sciences Centre, Odette Cancer Centre

    Toronto, Ontario

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Supporting Older Adults With Cancer and Their Support Person Through Geriatric Assessment and Remote Exercise and Education: the SOAR Study

Phase 2 randomized controlled study using a waitlist control group. The study also has a single arm pre-post test 12-week chair-based exercise arm for those who have received the geriatric assessment in the older adults with cancer clinic (geriatric oncology clinic).

Study Duration 2.5 years

Study Agent/ Intervention/ Procedure Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and Management (GAM) combined with online chair-based exercise (CBE) and health education for 12 weeks.

Read the detailed description

The purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to compare the standard of care alone to using a detailed health assessment for older adults followed by a 12 week program of online physical activity and health education (also called the intervention) plus the standard of care. The addition of the detailed health assessment for older adults followed by a 12 week program of online physical activity and health education to the standard of care could benefit older adults with cancer in terms of improving their physical activity, muscle strength, quality of life, and fatigue.

The intervention group will receive a detailed health assessment for older adults followed by a 12- week program of physical activity and health education. During the assessment they will be asked to provide information on current health, mood, weight loss, vision and hearing, memory, fatigue, pain, and a review of medications. Additionally, they will be asked to undergo a few tests that assess walking, grip strength, and balance and complete questionnaires that evaluate quality of life, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and physical function.

Two weekly sessions of group-based exercise (20-40) minutes are conducted via Zoom by a qualified exercise professional. These sessions include aerobic exercise for 20 minutes; resistance training, for 10 minutes; balance training 8 minutes, and flexibility training for 7 minutes. They will receive a weekly check-in to discuss the exercises and progress with the QEP who will adjust the exercises based on tolerance. During the first session of each of the 12- weeks, a video about a health topic by an expert will be shown on Zoom so that they can think about it after the class and prepare questions for the discussion with the expert.

Their support person are invited to participate in this study. We assume that involving support persons in this study, including exercising together, can improve the health and quality of life of the patient and and their support person. If they or their support person do not have a tablet/laptop to join the class, this will be provided along with training on how to use them.

The control group will receive usual care and the option to receive the intervention after 12 weeks.

May 2024. We have added a single pre-post test group for patients who receive the geriatric assessment already in the older adults with cancer clinic. These participants will receive the 12 week virtual intervention and will not be randomized. They will be in the study for 12 weeks (no waitlist control period).

Being tested
GAM, exercise, health education, online chair-based exercise combined with health education
Keywords
comprehensive geriatric assessment, chair-based exercise, health education
Medical subject headings
Lung Neoplasms, Urogenital Neoplasms, Breast Neoplasms, Lymphoma, Health Education

What participants receive

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

  • GAM, exercise, health educationBehavioural

    Also called Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and Management (GAM) combined with online chair-based exercise (CBE) and health education for 12 weeks.

    geriatric assessment, exercise and health education

  • online chair-based exercise combined with health educationBehavioural

    online chair-based exercise and health education for 12 weeks

Study groups in NCT05509751
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Intervention groupActive comparatorgeriatric assessment (GAM) and remote exercise and education prior to and during curative/adjuvant or first/second line palliative chemotherapy /immunotherapy or targeted therapy
Receives: Behavioral: GAM, exercise, health education
Waitlist control groupNo interventionWait list, receiving standard of care and option to receive intervention after treatment.
single arm pre-post test study for participants recruited from geriatric oncology clinicExperimentalThey will receive the 12 week virtual chair-based exercise and health education intervention except no geriatric assessment
Receives: Behavioral: online chair-based exercise combined with health education

What is being measured

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

  1. Feasability of the study

    What is the feasibility of implementation of the study? Feasibility will be measured by recruitment rate which will be the proportion of eligible patients and support persons who agree to enroll in the study, collected from our recruitment log) and measured in percentage with range 0-100. Feasibility of retention will be measured proportion of participants who complete the study data collection, collected from our study log), range 0-100.

    Feasibility of data outcome collection will be the percentage of patients who have complete data collection (collected from our study log), range 0-100.

    Feasibility of the study will be defined as recruitment of >60% of all eligible older adults; retention of >80% of the dyads; and 3) capture of outcome data of 80% or more.

    Measured: 12 weeks

  2. Acceptability of the intervention and the study

    What is the acceptability of the intervention and study? Acceptability will be measured by 1) adherence to the intervention and 2) satisfaction. Adherence to the intervention= 1) adherence to the geriatric assessment recommendations (collected through chart review) and expressed as percentage of recommendations received and implemented by the patient, range 0-100. 2) Adherence to online classes will be measured through the number of sessions missed as documented in the intervention log.

    A 5-item Likert scale satisfaction with the study scale ranging from very satisfied to very unsatisfied and satisfied and very Satisfied= satisified.

    Acceptability will be defined as 1) adherence to the intervention of >85% of participants adhering to at least 80% of the classes and recommendations; 2) satisfaction by 80% of participants.

    Measured: 12 weeks

Secondary outcomes (9)
  1. Effect intervention on Physical function

    What are the preliminary estimate of the intervention on physical function? This will be measured with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). The Short Physical Performance Battery is a test battery comprising of a four-meter gait speed test, a balance test, and 5 timed chair stand tests. The total score ranges between 0-12, and a change of one point is considered the minimal clinically important difference (MCID).

    Measured: 12 weeks

  2. Effect intervention on Grip strength

    What are the preliminary estimates of the intervention on grip strength? Grip strength in kilos will be measured with a handheld dynamometer three times in the dominant hand (range 0-80 kg). The maximum score will be used, and the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is 5 kg.

    Measured: 12 weeks

  3. Effect intervention on Life space Mobility

    What are the preliminary estimates of the intervention on Life Space Mobility? Life Space Mobility (LSM) will be measured with the University of Alabama Birmingham Study of Aging Life Space Assessment. The Life Space Mobility total score ranges from 0 (bed-bound) to 120 (daily independent out-of-town mobility). The minimal clinically important difference (MCID)is five points.

    Measured: 12 weeks

  4. Effect intervention on Physical Activity

    What are the preliminary estimates of the intervention on Physical Activity? Physical activity will be measured with the Godin Leisure time Exercise questionnaire. It asks how many times in the past seven days the participant has done vigorous, moderate, and light exercise for at least 15 min each time, and how much time the participant spent on the exercise, to calculate the total score. A score of 24+ indicates Active, 14 - 23 indicates Moderately Active, and <14 indicates inactive/sedentary

    Measured: 12 weeks

  5. Effect intervention on number of self-reported Falls

    What are the preliminary estimates of the intervention on the number of self-reported falls? Self-reported falls will be assessed weekly by a phone call by the RA as well as circumstances of the fall and will be scored as the total number of falls (ranging from 0- 200).

    Measured: 12 weeks

  6. Effect of the intervention on Fatigue

    What are the preliminary estimates of the intervention on fatigue? This will be measured with the Pittsburgh Fatigability questionnaire (PFS). The Pittsburgh Fatigability questionnaire measures both physical and mental fatigability. Participants rate their tiredness/exhaustion from 0 ("no fatigue") to 5 ("extreme fatigue") for how they expected or imagined they would feel after completing activities ranging in type and intensity (10 items). Continuous scores for each dimension can range from 0 to 50, with higher scores indicating higher fatigability and scores >25 will be used to indicate severe fatigability.

    Measured: 12 weeks

  7. Effect of the intervention on Quality of life

    What are the preliminary estimates of intervention on quality of life? This will be measured with the 12-item Short Form Survey (SF-12) . The 12 items are summarized in a physical subscale ranging from 0-100 and a mental health subscale ranging from 0-100.

    Measured: 12 weeks

  8. Effect of the intervention on treatment toxicity

    What are the effect of the intervention on Treatment toxicity ? This will be abstracted from the medical charts and treatment toxicity will be graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0. Each toxicity is graded from 0-5. The number of toxicities grade 3-5 will be summed.

    Measured: 12 weeks

  9. Effect of the intervention on unplanned healthcare utilization

    What are the effect of the intervention on unplanned Emergency Department (ED) visits and/or hospitalization? This will be abstracted from the medical charts and summarized as the number of unplanned emergency department visits and number of unplanned hospitalizations. Both could range from 0-100.

    Measured: 12 weeks

Timeline

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

  1. First posted22 Aug 2022
  2. Study start1 Oct 2023
  3. Primary completion1 Mar 2026
  4. Study completion1 Dec 2026 (estimated)

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
Sequential
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
60 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05509751
Sponsor's protocol ID
CTO#4087
Acronym
SOAR
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
15 Aug 2022
Last updated
28 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Jebanesan N, Alibhai SMH, Santa Mina D, Jones J, Legacy N, Freeman L, Smith A, Cobbing S, Vadali N, Lo S, Godhwani K, Nasiri F, Antonio M, Stephens D, Pitters E, Bennie F, Stephens A, Papadakos J, Cerullo L, Zjadewicz M, Jang R, Eng L, Krzyzanowska M, Matthew A, Durbano S, Mehta R, Menjak I, Emmenegger U, Sattar S, Sun V, Ladham K, Puts M. Supporting older adults with cancer and their support person through geriatric assessment and remote exercise and education: The SOAR study protocol. J Geriatr Oncol. 2025 Apr;16(3):102194. doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2025.102194. Epub 2025 Feb 5.

    PubMed 39909737

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing GAM, exercise, health education and online chair-based exercise combined with health education in people with Lung Cancer and Gastro-intestinal Cancer, run by Martine Puts at 2 sites in Canada.

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 9 inclusion and 4 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Canada. 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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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?

Feasability of the study (time frame: 12 weeks). The study lists 2 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 NCT05509751, 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 28 Apr 2026.

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SOAR Clinical Trial NCT05509751 | AzTrials