Exercise Training to Boost Immune Response and Treatment Results During Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating how exercise training might improve immune activity and the response to immunotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer NSCLC. Immunotherapy is increasingly used to treat NSCLC by helping the immune system fight cancer cells, but not all patients benefit due to possible poor immune activity. This study focuses on aerobic interval training, a type of exercise that alternates intense and less intense aerobic periods, which may cause biological changes to enhance immune activity and treatment response during immunotherapy. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group completes virtual home-based aerobic interval training sessions on a stationary bike with a trained exercise specialist, starting with once a week for weeks 1-4, twice a week for weeks 5-8, and three times a week for weeks 9-24, unless unacceptable toxicity occurs. They also receive equipment including a stationary bike, heart rate monitor, blood pressure monitor, oxygen saturation monitor, and a healthy lifestyle guidebook. The other group receives only the healthy lifestyle guidebook. Both groups undergo blood sample collection, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry DEXA, pulmonary function tests PFT, physical fitness and function tests, and questionnaires throughout the study. After completing the intervention, patients are followed up at week 26 and then every three months until immunotherapy ends. Participants will be monitored through various assessments including blood tests, imaging scans, lung function tests, fitness evaluations, and quality of life questionnaires. Researchers will measure immune markers, inflammatory factors, glucose and insulin levels, body composition, lung function, physical performance, treatment symptoms, mental health, sleep quality, and exercise behavior at baseline, mid-point, post-intervention, and during follow-up. The primary outcome is the change in neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio from baseline to post-intervention. This comprehensive monitoring aims to understand how exercise affects immune activity and treatment tolerance during immunotherapy for NSCLC.

Exercise Training for the Improvement of Immune Activity and Treatment Outcomes During Immunotherapy for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer, BOOST Trial