Improvement of Neuromuscular Function, Fatigue and Quality of Life by Optimizing Muscle Building and Nutrition in Colorectal Cancer: a Pilot Study

Overview

This study is based on the assumption that muscle strength and muscle mass will be better preserved in an "intervention" group with specific management combining retraining and nutritional monitoring compared to the "no intervention" group and that this will be positive consequences for fatigue and quality of life. In addition, this project is also based on the assumption that these gains will be at least partially preserved 3 months after the end of specific care.

Cancer patients have a significant risk of losing muscle mass, mainly related to cachexia, as a result of metabolic changes associated with the tumor process and treatments. However, it is reinforced by the sedentary lifestyle that results from fatigue felt by patients. This loss of muscle mass causes in patients with general weakness and a loss of maximum strength. However, it has recently been shown that muscle weakness is not only a consequence of muscle atrophy, but also the result of contractile dysfunction, which reduces fatigue resistance to exercise. Cancer cachexia can also be directly associated with high levels of subjective cancer-related fatigue. While it has been reported that resistance exercise programs can mitigate the deleterious effects of the disease and / or treatment, the results are likely to be partly debated because these programs are not optimized. This study proposes to use eccentric contraction and electromyostimulation because there is evidence that the effects of these methods used in combination may be greater in developing strength and muscle mass. In addition to muscle building, nutritional monitoring is a key element of recovery. For example, it has been shown that a preoperative exercise and nutritional support program has the potential to reduce sarcopenia and improve postoperative outcomes in elderly sarcopenic patients with gastric cancer. Ultimately, this study is based on the assumption that muscle strength and muscle mass will be better preserved in an "intervention" group with specific management combining retraining and nutritional monitoring compared to the "no intervention" group and that this will be positive consequences for fatigue and quality of life. In addition, this project is also based on the assumption that these gains will be at least partially preserved 3 months after the end of specific care.