ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06395506THRIVEUpdated Dec 24, 2025

THRIVE Well Cancer FDTN/Exercise_Creatine Supplementation

An interventional study of Creatine in Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Female and Muscle Weakness, sponsored by The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-24.

Sponsored by The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Oct 2024; still recruiting 2 years later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

The study's purpose is to evaluate whether creatine supplementation can help breast cancer survivors respond quicker to exercise by improving strength, endurance, and body composition. We are seeking to compare information collected from healthy woman of the same age who have never had breast cancer to those participants who have had breast cancer and undergone chemotherapy treatment.

Read the detailed description

The primary objective of this study is to determine the effects of creatine supplementation in modulating strength and physical function in breast cancer survivors that have recently completed chemotherapy. The primary objective is to determine the effects of creatine in modulating strength and physical function in cancer survivors.

02

Conditions studied

  • Breast Cancer
  • Breast Cancer Female
  • Muscle Weakness

Keywords

  • Breast Cancer
  • Breast Cancer Female
  • Exercise
  • Creatine Supplement
03

In context

Breast Neoplasms

14,825 studies on the registry are indexed under Breast Neoplasms; 3,319 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 60 is below the median of 72 across 10,896 interventional studies indexed under Breast Neoplasms.

Browse Breast Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston is the lead sponsor of 257 studies on the registry; 38 are open to participants now.

Of its 32 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 26 (81%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 18-75 years of age
  • Diagnosis of breast cancer requiring chemotherapy
  • Recent (within 6 months) completion of chemotherapy
  • Willing to attend 3 virtual-based exercise sessions per week
  • Able to take oral medications
  • Participant is willing and able to provide consent to participating in the study
  • Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 x or Estimated (eGFR) ≥30 mL/min/1.73 m2 by Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria (Breast Cancer Group)

  • Physical indications where performing exercise may be limited and/or
  • Poorly controlled hypertension (blood pressure > 160/95mmHg)
  • Current tobacco use (within 6 months)
  • Anabolic steroids use
  • Pitting edema greater than 2+
  • Currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer
  • History of moderate-severe heart disease (New York Heart Classification greater than grade II) or pulmonary disease (dyspnea on exertion upon climbing one flight of stairs or less; abnormal breath sounds on auscultation)
  • Pregnant or plan to become pregnant during the study
  • Recent (within one month) or anticipated treatment with (except for short term use during the time of chemotherapy), or other appetite stimulants
  • Serum creatinine > 1.5 x or Estimated (eGFR) \< 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 by Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation
  • Currently taking creatine supplements
  • Lack of availability to a smartphone and/or internet

Inclusion Criteria (Healthy Age-matched Control Group)

  • Age 18-75 years of age
  • Have never been diagnosed with cancer
  • Willing to provide consent to participate in this study

Exclusion Criteria (Healthy Age-matched Control Group)

  • Physical indications where performing exercise may be limited and/or contraindicated
  • Poorly controlled hypertension (blood pressure > 160/95mmHg)
  • Current tobacco use (within 6 months)
  • Anabolic steroids use
  • Pitting edema greater than 2+
  • History of cancer diagnosis
  • History of moderate-severe heart disease (New York Heart Classification greater than grade II) or pulmonary disease (dyspnea on exertion upon climbing one flight of stairs or less; abnormal breath sounds on auscultation)
  • Pregnant or currently taking prescribed medication to prepare for pregnancy (i.e.

hormonal therapy for IVF)

  • Recent (within one month) treatment with corticosteroids
  • Recent (within one month) use of appetite stimulants or appetite suppressants
  • Serum creatinine > 1.5 x ULN or Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \< 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 by Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation
  • Diagnosed Bipolar Disorder or MDQ score indicative of bipolar disorder or Neurological disorders
  • Uncontrolled diabetes (A1c of 6.5% or higher)
  • Currently taking creatine supplements
  • Lack of availability to a smartphone and/or internet
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Age-Matched Control Group

    Women who have never been diagnosed with cancer.

  • Experimental
    Creatine Supplement Group

    Those randomized to receive creatine (experimental group) will be initially dosed at 20 g/day for 7 days to boost availability of creatine systemically. Thereafter, the dose will be reduced to 5 g/day for maintenance through the duration of the 12-week protocol. Participants will engage in three center-based exercise sessions each week for 12 weeks; each session lasting roughly 1-hour. Participants will be given a fitbit (electronic watch that measures steps or heart rate) as well to track heart rate and monitor activity throughout the study.

    Dietary Supplement: Creatine

  • No intervention
    Non-Creatine Supplement Group

    Participants will engage in three center-based exercise sessions each week for 12 weeks; each session lasting roughly 1-hour. Participants will be given a Fitbit (electronic watch that measures steps or heart rate) as well to track heart rate and monitor activity throughout the study.

Interventions

  • Dietary supplementCreatine

    Those randomized to receive creatine (experimental group) will be initially dosed at 20 g/day for 7 days to boost availability of creatine systemically. Thereafter, the dose will be reduced to 5 g/day for maintenance through the duration of the 12-week protocol.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in strength in breast cancer survivors

    Determine the change in strength in breast cancer survivors by comparing pre and post measurements of strength measurement tools including 1RM/10RM/Biodex evaluations.

    Time frame: baseline and 12 weeks

  2. Change in physical functional capacity in breast cancer survivors

    Determine the change in strength in breast cancer survivors by comparing pre and post measurements of the six minute walk test.

    Time frame: baseline and 12 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change intramuscular storage of creatine

    Determine the change in intramuscular storage of creatine by comparing pre and post vastus lateralis muscle using MRI.

    Time frame: baseline and 12 weeks

  2. Change in body composition in cancer survivors

    Determine the change in body composition in breast cancer survivors by pre and post measurements of bone mass as well as lean vs fat mass via a DEXA scan.

    Time frame: baseline and 12 weeks

  3. Change in the return of strength for breast cancer survivors with creatine + exercise

    Breast cancer survivors who complete 12-weeks of exercise with creatine supplementation group who regained strength and physical function to that of women of similar age who never had cancer.

    Time frame: 12 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Sonawane MA, Lee AK, Gaikwad S, Almeida GJ, Darby NT, Calderon T, Ramirez AG, Hughes DC, Patel DI. Therapeutic Yoga Enhances Neuroplasticity and Metabolic Regulation Through Elevated Plasma Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Ghrelin in a Heterogeneous Cancer Survivor Population. Integr Cancer Ther. 2025 Jan-Dec;24:15347354251385573. doi: 10.1177/15347354251385573. Epub 2025 Oct 23. PubMed 41128015 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Oct 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for May 2028, 43 months after the start.

Of 2,661 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Breast Neoplasms, half reached primary completion within 33 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 66. This study's planned 43 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 2,771 studies reached it within 33 months; a quarter within 15 and three quarters within 66.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Apr 19, 2024
First posted
May 2, 2024
StartActual
Oct 29, 2024
Primary completionEst.
May 31, 2028
CompletionEst.
May 31, 2028
Last update
Dec 24, 2025
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 24, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06395506
Collaborators
ThriveWell Cancer Foundation
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 2, 2024
Start date
Oct 29, 2024
Primary completion
May 31, 2028 (estimated)
Completion
May 31, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Dec 24, 2025

Study contacts

Lisa Thibodeaux, RN,BSN
Contact
lbthibod@utmb.edu
4094741756
Rebecca Geck, MPH,APRN,CPT
Contact
raschaef@utmb.edu
4092660496
Darpan Patel, PhD
principal investigator · University of Texas

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

Contact study team

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Studies of the drug tested here: Creatine

Start the discussion