Center-Based and Home-Based Walking Exercise Intervention to Reduce Fatigue in Older Breast Cancer Survivors

What this Trial Is About

Older breast cancer survivors often experience significant fatigue after cancer treatment, with this study focusing on women aged 60 and above who completed therapy for invasive breast cancer within the past year. The research aims to evaluate two types of walking exercise programs to see if they can reduce fatigue levels in this group, as fatigue tends to be more severe with increasing age. This pilot randomized trial will help gather preliminary data and improve study methods for future larger trials. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two walking exercise programs for eight weeks. One group will do center-based walking sessions three times a week, including warm-up, 30 minutes of moderate-intensity walking, and encouraged periods of vigorous walking. The other group will follow a home-based walking plan, starting with 10-15 minutes per session and increasing by five minutes weekly, aiming for 30 minutes per session, five days a week. Throughout the study, participants will report their fatigue levels and other measures such as mental distress, pain, sleep disturbance, gait speed, physical function, and stress. These evaluations will be done from the start through the eighth week. Researchers will also monitor factors like peripheral neuropathy and habitual physical activity. The total involvement period is eight weeks, during which participants will complete questionnaires and physical assessments to understand how the walking exercises affect their fatigue and overall well-being.

Exercise to ReGain Stamina and Energy (The EXERGISE Study)