Pancreas Adenocarcinoma (MSI-H)ExO-PanCNCT07710495
Exercise to Improve Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer
A study testing ExO-PanC Personalised Exercise Programme in people with Pancreas Adenocarcinoma (MSI-H) and Deconditioning, run by University of Surrey at 1 site in United Kingdom.
Trial summary
Pancreatic cancer surgery (Whipple's procedure) is a major operation that can lead to reduced physical fitness, delayed recovery, and difficulty starting chemotherapy after surgery. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Pancreas Adenocarcinoma (MSI-H), Deconditioning
- What is being tested?
- ExO-PanC Personalised Exercise Programme
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited Kingdom
- Study dates
- 6 Jul 2026to 1 Jun 2030
- 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 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Adults aged 18 years or older.
- Planned to undergo upfront pancreatoduodenectomy (Whipple's procedure) for a suspected malignant periampullary mass.
- Able and willing to provide written informed consent.
Who cannot join
- <18 years age
- Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) contraindications
- Physical inability to perform CPET or undertake the program.
- Lacking the capacity to consent
- Unable to understand instructions in English
- Not scheduled for surgery
- A new diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 3c diabetes requiring management with insulin prescription will be excluded from the study.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United Kingdom1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Surrey
Guildford, Surrey, GU27XH
Tarak AM Chouari, BSc(Hons) MBChB, 01483688691, t.chouari@nhs.net
Tarak AM Chouari, BSc(Hons) MBChB
About this study
Official title: Exercise-Based Pre-, Peri- and Post-Surgery Intervention to Improve Clinical and Translational Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Whipple's Procedure: A Feasibility Study.
Pancreatic cancer surgery (Whipple's procedure) is a major operation that can lead to reduced physical fitness, delayed recovery, and difficulty starting chemotherapy after surgery. Exercise before and after surgery may help improve recovery, but it is not known whether a personalised exercise programme delivered throughout the surgical pathway is practical or acceptable for patients.
The Exercise to Improve Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer (ExO-PanC) study is a single-arm feasibility study that will recruit adults with suspected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who are scheduled to undergo Whipple's procedure. Participants will receive an individualised exercise programme before surgery, during their hospital stay, and after discharge until the start of adjuvant chemotherapy. The programme will include aerobic exercise and resistance training prescribed according to each participant's fitness level.
The primary objective is to determine whether this exercise programme is feasible by assessing recruitment, participant adherence, compliance with the prescribed exercise programme, and retention. Secondary exploratory objectives include evaluating surgical complications, initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy, physical fitness, quality of life, nutritional status, and blood, stool, and tumour biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes. Findings from this feasibility study will inform the design of a future multicentre randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of the ExO-PanC programme.
Read the detailed description
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is associated with poor survival, reduced physical function, and a high burden of treatment-related morbidity. Patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple's procedure) often experience substantial declines in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle function before and after surgery, which may contribute to postoperative complications, delayed recovery, and reduced likelihood of receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. While prehabilitation programmes are increasingly incorporated into routine care, current approaches are not typically individualised using objective measures of physical fitness and generally do not extend across the entire perioperative pathway.
The Exercise to Improve Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer (ExO-PanC) study has been developed to evaluate the feasibility of a personalised exercise programme delivered before surgery, during hospital admission, and throughout postoperative recovery until the commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy. Exercise prescriptions will be individualised using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), muscle strength assessments, and functional performance measures, allowing exercise intensity and progression to be tailored to each participant's physiological capacity.
Participants will undergo repeated assessments of cardiorespiratory fitness, physical function, muscle strength, nutritional status, quality of life, and biological sampling throughout the study. Blood, stool, and surgically resected tumour tissue will be collected to explore biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes and responses to exercise.
The primary objective of this feasibility study is to determine whether the ExO-PanC intervention can be successfully delivered across the perioperative pathway by evaluating participant recruitment, adherence, compliance with prescribed exercise, and study retention. Exploratory analyses will investigate surgical complications, initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy, changes in physical fitness and quality of life, and relationships between biological markers and clinical outcomes.
Results from this study will establish the feasibility of implementing a personalised perioperative exercise programme for patients undergoing pancreatic cancer surgery and will provide essential data to inform the design of a future adequately powered multicentre randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of the ExO-PanC intervention.
- Conditions
- Pancreas Adenocarcinoma (MSI-H), Deconditioning
- Being tested
- ExO-PanC Personalised Exercise Programme
- Keywords
- prehabilitation, rehabilitation, exercise
- Medical subject headings
- Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
ExO-PanC Personalised Exercise ProgrammeBehavioural
Participants will receive the ExO-PanC personalised exercise programme alongside standard perioperative care. The intervention comprises four phases delivered across the surgical pathway: (1) prehabilitation before surgery, (2) supervised exercise during postoperative hospital admission, (3) structured home-based recovery following hospital discharge, and (4) rehabilitation before the commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy. Exercise prescriptions are individualised using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), muscle strength, and functional assessments. The programme includes aerobic, resistance, flexibility, and home-based exercise, with intensity and progression tailored to each participant's fitness level. Exercise may be delivered in supervised or semi-supervised formats, with heart rate monitoring used to support exercise prescription and progression. Participants continue to receive all standard NHS perioperative care throughout the study.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention group | Experimental | Participants will receive the ExO-PanC personalised exercise programme in addition to standard perioperative care. The intervention comprises four phases spanning the surgical pathway: prehabilitation before surgery, supervised inpatient exercise following surgery, structured home-based recovery after hospital discharge, and rehabilitation before commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy. Exercise is individually prescribed using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), muscle strength, and functional assessments, and includes aerobic and resistance with progression tailored to each participant's physical capacity. Participants also undergo repeated assessments of physical fitness, quality of life, nutritional status, and collection of blood, stool, and tumour tissue samples throughout the study. Receives: Behavioral: ExO-PanC Personalised Exercise Programme |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Feasibility of the ExO-PanC exercise programme
Feasibility will be assessed using participant recruitment, adherence to the prescribed exercise programme (target >85% of prescribed sessions completed), compliance with prescribed exercise intensity, duration and type (target >80%), and participant retention (target <20% withdrawal for non-clinical reasons). Feasibility will be evaluated separately across the preoperative, perioperative and postoperative phases of the intervention.
Measured: From enrolment until completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks)
Secondary outcomes (7)
Postoperative surgical complications
Occurrence and severity of postoperative complications, including pancreatic fistula and other clinically relevant surgical complications
Measured: Up to approximately 6 weeks following surgery.
Commencement and completion of adjuvant chemotherapy
Proportion of participants who commence planned adjuvant chemotherapy following pancreaticoduodenectomy and proportion who complete it
Measured: From surgery until planned commencement and completion of adjuvant chemotherapy.
Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) measured by cardiopulmonary excercise testing (CPET)
Difference in anaerobic threshold (mL/kg/min) and peak oxygen uptake (VO₂peak, mL/kg/min) measured during CPET.
Measured: Baseline through completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks)
Muscle strength
Changes in upper and lower body muscle strength measured using standardised strength assessments.
Measured: Baseline through completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks).
Change in health-related quality of life measured using the EORTC QLQ-C30
Health-related quality of life assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). Change in EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status, functional scales and symptom scales. Scores range from 0-100.
Measured: Serial measurements from baseline through completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks).
Nutritional status
Nutritional status assessed using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form (PG-SGA SF).
Measured: Baseline through completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks).
Change in pancreatic cancer-specific quality of life measured using the EORTC QLQ-PAN26
Serial changes in EORTC QLQ-PAN26 symptom scores. Scores range from 0-100.
Measured: This will be measured at five timepoints from recruitment through to commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Jul 2026
- Study start6 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion1 Jun 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Jun 2030 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Pancreas Adenocarcinoma (MSI-H)Studies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Surrey
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Adam E Frampton, PhD, Principal investigator, University of Surrey
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07710495
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 350182
- Acronym
- ExO-PanC
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 6 Jul 2026
- Last updated
- 17 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Exercise-Based Pre-, Peri- and Post-Surgery Intervention to Improve Clinical and Translational Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Whipple's Procedure: A Feasibility Study.
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07710495
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ExO-PanC / 350182
- Conditions
- Pancreas Adenocarcinoma (MSI-H), Deconditioning
- Keywords
- prehabilitation, rehabilitation, exercise
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of SurreyUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Study start
- 6 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jun 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Jun 2030 (estimated)
- First posted
- 17 Jul 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Pancreatic cancer surgery (Whipple's procedure) is a major operation that can lead to reduced physical fitness, delayed recovery, and difficulty starting chemotherapy after surgery. Exercise before and after surgery may help improve recovery, but it is not known whether a personalised exercise programme delivered throughout the surgical pathway is practical or acceptable for patients.
The Exercise to Improve Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer (ExO-PanC) study is a single-arm feasibility study that will recruit adults with suspected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who are scheduled to undergo Whipple's procedure. Participants will receive an individualised exercise programme before surgery, during their hospital stay, and after discharge until the start of adjuvant chemotherapy. The programme will include aerobic exercise and resistance training prescribed according to each participant's fitness level.
The primary objective is to determine whether this exercise programme is feasible by assessing recruitment, participant adherence, compliance with the prescribed exercise programme, and retention. Secondary exploratory objectives include evaluating surgical complications, initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy, physical fitness, quality of life, nutritional status, and blood, stool, and tumour biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes. Findings from this feasibility study will inform the design of a future multicentre randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of the ExO-PanC programme.
Detailed description
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is associated with poor survival, reduced physical function, and a high burden of treatment-related morbidity. Patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple's procedure) often experience substantial declines in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle function before and after surgery, which may contribute to postoperative complications, delayed recovery, and reduced likelihood of receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. While prehabilitation programmes are increasingly incorporated into routine care, current approaches are not typically individualised using objective measures of physical fitness and generally do not extend across the entire perioperative pathway.
The Exercise to Improve Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer (ExO-PanC) study has been developed to evaluate the feasibility of a personalised exercise programme delivered before surgery, during hospital admission, and throughout postoperative recovery until the commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy. Exercise prescriptions will be individualised using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), muscle strength assessments, and functional performance measures, allowing exercise intensity and progression to be tailored to each participant's physiological capacity.
Participants will undergo repeated assessments of cardiorespiratory fitness, physical function, muscle strength, nutritional status, quality of life, and biological sampling throughout the study. Blood, stool, and surgically resected tumour tissue will be collected to explore biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes and responses to exercise.
The primary objective of this feasibility study is to determine whether the ExO-PanC intervention can be successfully delivered across the perioperative pathway by evaluating participant recruitment, adherence, compliance with prescribed exercise, and study retention. Exploratory analyses will investigate surgical complications, initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy, changes in physical fitness and quality of life, and relationships between biological markers and clinical outcomes.
Results from this study will establish the feasibility of implementing a personalised perioperative exercise programme for patients undergoing pancreatic cancer surgery and will provide essential data to inform the design of a future adequately powered multicentre randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of the ExO-PanC intervention.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention group | Experimental | Behavioral: ExO-PanC Personalised Exercise ProgrammeParticipants will receive the ExO-PanC personalised exercise programme in addition to standard perioperative care. The intervention comprises four phases spanning the surgical pathway: prehabilitation before surgery, supervised inpatient exercise following surgery, structured home-based recovery after hospital discharge, and rehabilitation before commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy. Exercise is individually prescribed using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), muscle strength, and functional assessments, and includes aerobic and resistance with progression tailored to each participant's physical capacity. Participants also undergo repeated assessments of physical fitness, quality of life, nutritional status, and collection of blood, stool, and tumour tissue samples throughout the study. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Adults aged 18 years or older.
- Planned to undergo upfront pancreatoduodenectomy (Whipple's procedure) for a suspected malignant periampullary mass.
- Able and willing to provide written informed consent.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- <18 years age
- Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) contraindications
- Physical inability to perform CPET or undertake the program.
- Lacking the capacity to consent
- Unable to understand instructions in English
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| ExO-PanC Personalised Exercise ProgrammeParticipants will receive the ExO-PanC personalised exercise programme alongside standard perioperative care. The intervention comprises four phases delivered across the surgical pathway: (1) prehabilitation before surgery, (2) supervised exercise during postoperative hospital admission, (3) structured home-based recovery following hospital discharge, and (4) rehabilitation before the commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy. Exercise prescriptions are individualised using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), muscle strength, and functional assessments. The programme includes aerobic, resistance, flexibility, and home-based exercise, with intensity and progression tailored to each participant's fitness level. Exercise may be delivered in supervised or semi-supervised formats, with heart rate monitoring used to support exercise prescription and progression. Participants continue to receive all standard NHS perioperative care throughout the study. | Behavioural | Intervention group |
Primary outcome
Feasibility of the ExO-PanC exercise programme
Time frame: From enrolment until completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks)
Feasibility will be assessed using participant recruitment, adherence to the prescribed exercise programme (target >85% of prescribed sessions completed), compliance with prescribed exercise intensity, duration and type (target >80%), and participant retention (target <20% withdrawal for non-clinical reasons). Feasibility will be evaluated separately across the preoperative, perioperative and postoperative phases of the intervention.
7 secondary outcomes
Postoperative surgical complications
Time frame: Up to approximately 6 weeks following surgery.
Commencement and completion of adjuvant chemotherapy
Time frame: From surgery until planned commencement and completion of adjuvant chemotherapy.
Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) measured by cardiopulmonary excercise testing (CPET)
Time frame: Baseline through completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks)
Muscle strength
Time frame: Baseline through completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks).
Change in health-related quality of life measured using the EORTC QLQ-C30
Time frame: Serial measurements from baseline through completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks).
Nutritional status
Time frame: Baseline through completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks).
Change in pancreatic cancer-specific quality of life measured using the EORTC QLQ-PAN26
Time frame: This will be measured at five timepoints from recruitment through to commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Adam E Frampton, PhD principal investigator
University of Surrey
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing ExO-PanC Personalised Exercise Programme in people with Pancreas Adenocarcinoma (MSI-H) and Deconditioning, run by University of Surrey at 1 site in United Kingdom.
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 3 inclusion and 7 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Jul 2026. 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 Kingdom. 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?
Contact Tarak AM Chouari, BSc (Hons) MBChB (01483688691, t.chouari@nhs.net), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Feasibility of the ExO-PanC exercise programme (time frame: From enrolment until completion of the intervention (approximately 16-24 weeks)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 17 Jul 2026.