EXERT-BCH Exercise Regimen to Improve Muscle Mass After Treatment of Breast Cancer

February 2, 2026 updated by: Colin Champ, MD, Allegheny Singer Research Institute (also known as Allegheny Health Network Research Institute)

EXERT-BCH: Prospective Study of EXErcise Regimens After Treatment for Breast Cancer to Improve Hypertrophy

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the outcomes of two standard of care group exercise regimens to increase muscle mass in women who have been treated with breast cancer.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This protocol seeks to analyze patient outcomes of two standard of care, time-efficient, monitored group exercise regimens of high-load resistance training to improve hypertrophy in women who have been treated for ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive carcinoma of the breast.

As part of the standard exercise program, patients will undergo a fitness evaluation at the AHNCI Exercise Oncology and Resiliency Center before the start of the exercise program. This evaluation will be used to customize the patient exercise program. The exercise program consists of small group training sessions held approximately 3 times per week at the center for 12 weeks (3 months). The fitness evaluation and exercise program are standard of care. Participation in this study will last the duration of the exercise program, about 3 months. All group exercise sessions will be closely monitored by the center staff who are Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
30

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15212

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Age 20-89 years

  • Women with a biopsy proven diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive carcinoma of the breast
  • Women must have undergone treatment for breast cancer, including one or more of the following: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or hormonal therapy. Women undergoing active chemotherapy are not allowed on study. Immunotherapy or targeted agent usage is allowed.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any current treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy for breast cancer
  • Inability to safely engage in group sessions of resistance training as deemed by study PI
  • Severe arthritic, joint, cardiovascular, or musculoskeletal condition deemed by PI to be unsafe to engage in resistance training

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Other: Control Arm / ACSM Guidelines
The control group will follow resistance training guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) with the goal of promoting hypertrophy
Other: Control Arm ACSM Guidelines
The control group will follow resistance training guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine. Eight to ten multi-joint exercises will be performed to stress the major muscle groups.
Experimental: Experimental Arm / EOC Guidelines
The experimental group will use a regimen that is often used by strength and conditioning coaches to maximize hypertrophy, and is part of the standard regimens at the Exercise Oncology Center (EOC)
Other: Experimental Arm 6-12-25 repetitions per set
The exercise regimens will employ a mixture of compound exercises utilizing both open and closed kinetic chain movements (CKC), focusing on exercises with the goal of increasing skeletal muscle mass and body composition. The regimen will incorporate 6, then 12, then 25 repetitions in sequence per set per muscle group with minimal amounts of rest between.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Determine changes in muscle and fat mass during and after each exercise regimen
Time Frame: The exercise program will last for 8 weeks and continuously monitored by the PI and clinical team.
The experimental group will follow a 6-12-25 program geared at optimizing hypertrophy and metabolism via high volume and increased time under tension.
The exercise program will last for 8 weeks and continuously monitored by the PI and clinical team.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Determine adherence defined as number of sessions attended of total sessions
Time Frame: The exercise program will last for 8 weeks and continuously monitored by the PI and clinical team.
The experimental group will follow a 6-12-25 program geared at optimizing hypertrophy and metabolism via high volume and increased time under tension.
The exercise program will last for 8 weeks and continuously monitored by the PI and clinical team.
Determine changes in strength measured via load calculations (repetitions x sets x weight)
Time Frame: The exercise program will last for 8 weeks and continuously monitored by the PI and clinical team.
The experimental group will follow a 6-12-25 program geared at optimizing hypertrophy and metabolism via high volume and increased time under tension.
The exercise program will last for 8 weeks and continuously monitored by the PI and clinical team.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Allegheny Singer Research Institute (also known as Allegheny Health Network Research Institute)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Colin Champ, MD, CSCS, Radiation Oncologist

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 9, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 30, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 30, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 3, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 2, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • EXERT-BCH

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

No plan to share data

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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