Activity & Cognition After Treatment for Breast Cancer (ACT)

February 7, 2020 updated by: Edward McAuley, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Activity & Cognition After Treatment (ACT) for Breast Cancer

This study addresses an important public health concern; impoverished cognitive function associated with treatment of breast cancer. Due to increased awareness of breast cancer combined with advances in medical care, there are over 2.8 million women living with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. alone. Chemotherapy and adjuvant therapy to remove cancerous tissue can result in deficits in attention, speed of processing, memory, and quality of life. Physical activity has been associated with a number of health benefits for breast cancer survivors including improvements in cognitive function. However, most of the literature is cross-sectional and it is unclear whether acute (single) bouts of physical activity affect cognition and, if they do, how long this effect lasts. This study will be the first, to the investigators' knowledge, to examine the effects of an acute bout of aerobic exercise on cognitive functioning in breast cancer survivors. Specifically, the investigators will determine the effects of a 30-minute moderate intensity aerobic exercise session (treadmill walking) on immediate and one hour follow up changes in measures of processing speed, memory, and executive function. Additionally, accelerometer cut-points for physical activity intensities in breast cancer survivors will be assessed. Finally, the investigators will examine the association of cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity with changes in cognitive function. Findings from this study will allow researchers to determine whether any acute effects of exercise on cognition are retained over time and therefore have real meaning in the context of one's daily life.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study addresses an important public health concern: impoverished cognitive function associated with treatment of breast cancer. Due to increased awareness of breast cancer combined with advances in medical care, the 5-year survival rate has climbed to 89.2% with over 2.8 million women living with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. alone.

Unfortunately, the treatment of breast cancer is not without its consequences. Chemotherapy and adjuvant therapy to remove cancerous tissue can result in deficits in attention, speed of processing, memory, and quality of life. While past studies have identified memory and executive function as valuable, important determinants of long-term survival and quality of life in survivors of different types of cancer, it is unclear if standard care methods alone prove successful in attenuating declines in these variables. Previous research in breast cancer populations has found that executive function difficulties, namely in working memory, cognitive flexibility, and processing speed, as well as fatigue, are the most commonly described deficits. Furthermore, evidence suggests impairments in cognitive functioning may persist in up to 35% of breast cancer survivors years after treatment ends.

A behavioral and lifestyle modality known to improve physical and mental health status and protect against health declines is physical activity. Not only is physical activity known to protect against a host of diseases, but it also has been shown to provide many health benefits to breast cancer survivors. While the extant literature suggests that physical activity can lead to improvements in varying cognitive domains in breast cancer survivors, another study concluded that only 32% of these survivors meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity. Additionally, while benefits from physical activity for breast cancer survivors are well known, there is currently no scientifically recognized physical activity training program aimed at improving cognitive function in this cohort.

As such, a review chapter examining cognitive impairment in breast cancer survivors suggests more comprehensive studies examining the relationship between objective measures of physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cognitive performance are warranted to gain a better understanding of the potentially protective effects of fitness and physical activity on cognitive functioning in breast cancer survivors for better survival along the cancer continuum. In addition, other research has shown that subjective memory impairment, fatigue, and anxiety plague breast cancer survivors and suggests that breast cancer survivors may suffer from poorer quality of life as a result. Furthermore, it has been shown that breast cancer survivors have longer reaction time to working memory tasks compared to healthy, age-matched controls, and those survivors with higher levels of physical activity had shorter reaction times for more difficult tasks. A recent study also measured levels of objective physical activity and found those with higher levels displayed more positive measures of global cognition.

Despite this evidence, it is unknown if acute (single) bouts of exercise can provide benefits in varying cognitive domains. Previous research has shown that acute bouts of aerobic physical activity, of both light and moderate intensity, decrease state anxiety in breast cancer survivors. However, it is not known if these benefits extend to cognitive functioning. Furthermore, most of these results are founded in cross-sectional research and it is unclear whether acute bouts of physical activity improve cognition and, if they do, how long this effect lasts. This has implications for real world contexts in that, if benefits are present, breast cancer survivors can find relief in cognitive symptoms quickly by simply engaging in a bout of physical activity. This study will be the first, to the investigators' knowledge, to examine the effects of an acute bout of aerobic exercise on cognitive functioning in breast cancer survivors.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

31

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Urbana, Illinois, United States, 61801
        • Freer Hall, University of Illinois

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

Ages Eligible for Study

30 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • women between 30 and 60 years of age
  • diagnosis of breast cancer
  • no longer undergoing treatment
  • fluent in English
  • no history of dementia or organic brain syndrome
  • not currently pregnant
  • able to walk unassisted
  • no health reasons that would prevent ability to exercise
  • not currently enrolled in another exercise research study
  • reported trouble with memory/concentration
  • physician's consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • male
  • no diagnosis of breast cancer
  • outside of 30-60 years of age
  • currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer
  • inability to communicate in English
  • history of dementia or organic brain syndrome
  • pregnant
  • unable to walk unassisted
  • other health reasons that may prevent ability to exercise
  • enrolled in another exercise research study
  • no reported trouble with memory or concentration
  • non-consent of physician

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 30 minute treadmill walking
All participants will walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes and perform a battery of cognitive tasks immediately prior, immediately after, and one hour after completion of the 30 minute walking period.
Behavioral: Walking
Participants will walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes at a moderate intensity.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline in cognitive function in breast cancer survivors immediately and one hour after an acute bout of exercise as assessed by a battery of cognitive functioning measures.
Time Frame: 1 year
Participants will complete cognitive tasks, then exercise on a treadmill for 30 minutes before completing the same cognitive tasks again. Participants will then rest before completing the cognitive tasks one more time one hour after the end of the exercise period.
1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in relationship between exercise and cognitive function in breast cancer survivors as assessed by physical activity and fitness levels.
Time Frame: 1 year
The investigators wish to explore if participants with higher levels of fitness and higher levels of physical activity exhibit different levels of cognitive functioning compared to their less fit and less active peers.
1 year
Physical activity guidelines in breast cancer survivors as assessed by graded exercise test.
Time Frame: 60 minutes
Participants will wear an accelerometer while performing a graded maximal exercise test. The output of the accelerometer will be compared to that of the exercise test to determine what levels of activity line up with varying metabolic equivalents. This will help us determine physical activity guidelines for breast cancer survivors.
60 minutes
Change from baseline in anxiety levels after one bout of exercise as assessed by HADS questionnaire.
Time Frame: 30 minutes
Participants will complete a short anxiety questionnaire before and after a 30 minute bout of aerobic exercise. The investigators will then compare the pre- and post- values to examine if any changes are present.
30 minutes
Change in relationship between exercise and cognitive function in breast cancer survivors as assessed by psychosocial questionnaires.
Time Frame: 1 year
Participants will take home a short battery of questionnaires designed to assess psychosocial outcomes. They will bring it back one week later. The investigators will then explore if participants with higher levels of any of these variables exhibit higher levels of cognition and/or fitness compared to peers with lower levels of psychological constructs.
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Edward McAuley, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

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

July 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 25, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 28, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

October 30, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 10, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 7, 2020

Last Verified

February 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UIUC_IRB_15575

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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.

Clinical Trials on Breast Cancer

Clinical Trials on Walking

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Poland

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe