An interventional study of Structured Exercise Training and Group-based Yoga and Stretching in Breast Cancer, Disability Physical and Heart Failure, sponsored by University of Alberta. Recruiting at 1 site in Canada. Open to female participants aged 60 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-08.
Sponsored by University of Alberta · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
The chemotherapy medications used for breast cancer treatment are important for achieving a cure, but a potential side effect is that they can cause a decline in functional capacity (reduced exercise tolerance and impaired physical function) and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The risks of decreased functional capacity and cardiovascular disease are highest in breast cancer survivors as they grow older. The factors causing the decline in functional capacity are not well understood, however they may be related to a reduction in cardiac function (e.g. decreased pumping ability of the heart) or skeletal muscle function (reduced muscle blood flow and oxygenation). Exercise training is used for other populations at risk for cardiovascular disease (such as cardiac rehabilitation), but is not routinely offered to breast cancer survivors. Therefore this research study wants to test whether exercise training can improve heart and muscle health, and increase functional capacity in up to 60 older breast cancer survivors aged >60 years old who previously received chemotherapy drugs that can affect the heart.
The purpose of this study is to compare two rehabilitation approaches: a 12-week structured exercise training program or a 12-week stretching-yoga program. The investigators want to compare whether these programs can improve functional capacity, and heart and skeletal muscle function. To do this, some of the participants in this study will be randomly enrolled in the structured exercise training program and others will be randomly enrolled in the stretching-yoga program.
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 →University of Alberta is the lead sponsor of 823 studies on the registry; 169 are open to participants now.
Of its 5 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 3 (60%) have results posted.
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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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.
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.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ECG (electrocardiogram)
A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants randomized to exercise training will be provided with a 12-week structured exercise training program. The program includes 3 weekly sessions of aerobic exercise (e.g treadmill, cycling, elliptical machine) and/or resistance training (i.e lifting weights). The aerobic sessions will include long-endurance (40-60 minutes at moderate intensity), tempo (30-40 minutes at a moderate-vigorous intensity) and high-intensity interval exercise (10-15 intervals of 30-60 seconds at 100% peak aerobic power output, interspersed with 60 seconds of active recovery). Resistance training will include 4-6 lower body exercises performed for 2-3 sets of 8-20 repetitions at a load equivalent to 60-85% of their one repetition maximum. The program will be supervised by an exercise trainer (Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Physiotherapist, Kinesiologist or Research Associate with exercise training experience) and will be individualized each individual's baseline fitness and medical history.
Behavioral: Structured Exercise Training
Participants allocated to the yoga and stretching group will provided with a once weekly yoga and stretching group class. The classes will consist of a combination of light-intensity yoga, balance and stretching exercises. The yoga and stretching class will be overseen by a yoga instructor, physiotherapist, physiotherapy trainee or research assistant with exercise training background
Behavioral: Group-based Yoga and Stretching
Participants will complete 12-weeks of supervised, structured moderate-to-high intensity aerobic and resistance training three times per week.
Participants will complete 12-weeks of supervised group-based yoga and stretching once per week.
Peak arterio-venous oxygen content difference
Peak exercise arterio-venous oxygen content difference assessed using whole-body exercise MRI
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Peak cardiac output
Peak exercise cardiac output assessed using whole-body exercise MRI
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Peak volume of oxygen uptake
Peak volume of oxygen uptake assessed from a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Peak diffusive muscle oxygen conductance
Calculated diffusive muscle oxygen conductance assessed using whole-body exercise MRI
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Peak stroke volume
Peak exercise stroke volume assessed using whole-body exercise MRI
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Aerobic endurance
Walk distance measured during a six minute walk test
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Physical Function
Short physical performance battery total score (Score from 0 to 12, where higher scores represent better function)
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Skeletal muscle volume
Muscle volume of the thigh and lower leg from MRI
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Skeletal muscle myosteatosis
Muscular fat fraction of the thigh and lower leg from MRI
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Skeletal muscle fibrosis
Muscular fibrosis of the thigh and lower leg measured from MRI T1 values
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Calf muscle aerobic capacity
Peak muscle oxygen uptake from maximal plantar flexion exercise MRI
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Calf muscle oxygen extraction
Peak muscle arterio-venous oxygen difference from maximal plantar flexion exercise MRI
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Calf muscle oxygen diffusive conductance
Peak muscle oxygen diffusive conductance from maximal plantar flexion exercise MRI
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Calf muscle metabolism
Exercise phosphate and phosphocreatine responses during plantar flexion exercise 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Time frame: 12 Weeks
10-year Framingham Risk Score
10-year Framingham Risk Score will be calculated from participant Sex, Age, HDL-cholesterol, Total Cholesterol, Resting Systolic Blood Pressure, Smoking Status and presence of Diabetes. The score ranges from 0% to 100% where higher scores indicate higher CVD risk.
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Habitual Physical Activity
Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity over 7 days of objective monitoring (Fitbit)
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Fasting Lipids
A fasting blood test will be used to measure concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Fasting Glycaemic Control
A fasting blood test will be used to measure concentrations of fasting plasma glucose and fasting insulin
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Fasting Insulin Resistance
Fasting insulin resistance will be calculated from fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations using the Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) method.
Time frame: 12 Weeks
C-reactive protein
Plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein will be assessed from a fasting blood test.
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Resting blood pressure
Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured in the supine position using an automated oscillometric blood pressure cuff.
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast (FACT-B) Questionnaire
Quality of Life, including physical, emotional and social wellbeing and breast cancer related symptom score on the FACT-B questionnaire. Participants will be scored from 0 to 148, where 148 represents the highest quality of life.
Time frame: 12 Weeks
Plan to share: No
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