Alternative Exercise Program to Improve Skeletal Muscle Function and Fatigue in Cancer Survivors

University of Vermont22 enrolled

Overview

Exercise training has beneficial effects in cancer survivors to minimize some of the side effects of cancer and its treatment and improve long-term prognosis, but there are numerous hurdles for individuals diagnosed with, and being treated for, cancer to participate in exercise programs. The goal of this research study is to begin to evaluate whether exercise training via neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has beneficial effects on skeletal muscle size and function in cancer survivors.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Breast Cancer

Interventions

Neuromuscular electrical stimulationDEVICE

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation will be performed 5 times/week for one hour each day for 2 months.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 40 YearsMax age: 70 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. stage I, II or III breast cancer 2. receiving neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiation 3. a body mass index \<35 kg/m2. Exclusion Criteria: 1. metastatic disease, a prior history of cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, or prior receipt of chemotherapy 2. autoimmune, vascular or neuromuscular disease that could alter skeletal muscle 3. prior knee or hip replacement 4. contraindications for use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation, including an implanted cardiac defibrillator or pacemaker, lower extremity blood clot or coagulopathy 5. pregnancy

Locations (1)

University of Vermont College of Medicine

Burlington, Vermont, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Maximal Calcium-activated Tension Single Muscle Fiber Tension

Tension (force per unit muscle fiber cross-sectional area) from segments of chemically-skinned single human muscle fibers will be assessed under maximal calcium-activated condition, with muscle fiber type determined post-measurement by gel electrophoresis

Time frame: Difference between values at baseline at 2 months

Cross-sectional Area of Skeletal Muscle Fibers

Cross-sectional area of skeletal muscle fibers will be evaluated using immunohistochemistry, with specification of all relevant muscle fiber types

Time frame: Difference between values at baseline at 2 months

Intermyofibrillar Mitochondrial Content

Area fraction of intermyofibrillar mitochondria will be assessed by electron microscopy

Time frame: Difference between values at baseline at 2 months

Secondary Outcomes

Single Muscle Fiber Contractile Velocity

Single muscle fiber contractile velocity assessed using isotonic load clamps, with muscle fiber type determined post-measurement by gel electrophoresis. The velocity of contraction is expressed relative to the length of the muscle fiber segment evaluated (as measured using a eyepiece micrometer during assessments) per second.

Time frame: Difference between values at baseline at 2 months

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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