Physical Rehabilitation Program for Cardiorespiratory Health and Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Survivors in UAE.

August 19, 2025 updated by: Fatima Abdul Rashid, Gulf Medical University

Physical Rehabilitation Program for Cardiorespiratory Health and Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Survivors in UAE - A Randomized Control Trial.

This randomized control trial aims to analyze the changes in cardiovascular endurance and quality of life domains for breast cancer survivors in the United Arab Emirates using a long-term 2-month physical rehabilitation program adapted from the BREX protocol.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Cancer is a medical condition where some cells of the body reproduce uncontrollably and metastasize to other parts of the body. The burden of the disease is significantly high both at the global and national levels. In the year 2020, 19.3 million total new cases of cancer were recorded, and cancer deaths were estimated to be 10.0 million, for both males and females. In UAE, cancer was found to be the third leading cause of death. Specifically in UAE, breast cancer was ranked 1 due to its prevalence, incidence, and mortality. Amongst all types of cancers, breast carcinoma is very common among females across the globe which significantly affects their Quality of Life (QoL) with poor cardiovascular tolerance even after the carcinoma has been treated or removed. Thus, the associated morbidity among breast cancer survivors affects all domains of quality of life comprising physical health, psychological health, level of independence, social interactions, and environmental changes.

It is well known that QoL domains are interrelated where physical rehabilitation is of utmost importance as it can help to address all domains. In addition, the "cardiorespiratory systems" are the main functional unit of our circulatory system and provide energy for body movements. Poor cardiovascular endurance has been very commonly reported among breast cancer survivors, which has a direct effect on individuals' level of independence and ability to participate in the social environment thereby adding to overall QoL. Physical rehabilitation forms an important part of breast cancer management pre- and post-surgical. In the pre-surgical phase, rehabilitation can help the individual to sustain the ill effect of post-surgical complications better. However, it is the post-surgical phase that requires more attention and rehabilitation strategies to combat the situation and help the individual regain their functional level near normal. The importance and benefits of physical rehabilitation among breast cancer survivors have been well reported with evidence in the literature.

Integrated structured exercise programs have been defined and prescribed to check their benefits over the QoL domains. In addition, a study reported that while structured exercise programs should focus on improving cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength during exercise training, these programs should consider physical activity outside of training, if well-tolerated, to potentially further lower fatigue and improve QOL in cancer survivors. Thus, an individual-centric approach could be more beneficial. Although a recent study reported a higher incidence and prevalence of breast cancer in the UAE population, no published data was found on the application of the recommended exercise regimen, rehabilitation program, and guidelines for breast cancer survivors in the UAE despite a significant level of evidence.

Therefore, the proposed research project aims to improve the QoL domains and Cardiovascular endurance among breast cancer survivors in the United Arab Emirates using physical rehabilitation and recommended exercise programs. An individual-centric approach is intended to maximize the benefits of physical rehabilitation and to match individual needs efficiently.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

62

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 Arab Emirates
      • Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
        • Al Tawam
    • Ajman
      • Al Jurf, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
        • Thumbay Medical City

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients suffering from breast cancer who have undergone Chemotherapy, Mastectomy, and cleared for post-surgical physical rehabilitation.
  • Age group -18 years to 65 years
  • Female patients only (gender predisposition)
  • Diagnosed with stage I-stage IIIa breast cancer. (As other stages of cancer include metastasis).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients diagnosed with prior cardiorespiratory disorders, cognitive dysfunction, and other health problems that would prevent safe participation.
  • Active breast cancer patients.
  • Participants who engaged in physical activity like the intervention group in any form.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Physical Therapy Intervention
The intervention group will receive a structured exercise program which will run for 2 months and a follow-up will be done after 3 months.
Other: Supervised Training

Two different classes over alternate weeks twice per week :

  1. 60-minute step aerobics class (Given week 1,3,5,7)
  2. 60 minutes circuit training class (Given week 2,4,6,8)

Each class will include warm-up and cool-down periods both lasting 10-15 min. The exercise period of 30 minutes the maximum target RPE would be set at 14-16 on a 20-point BORG scale, a level of exercise that feels "somewhat hard" or "hard" and coincides with about 86-92% of maximal heart rate, 76-85% of maximal VO 2 and 5-7 metabolic equivalents (METs) ideal for improving the related domains of QoL and Cardiovascular endurance (12). During the first 3 weeks, the participants would exercise at a lower level of RPE (approximately 11-13), to adapt to the training and so that newly recruited participants could also join the group without difficulty.

Other: Individually tailored home program
The type of home training would mainly consist of endurance training such as walking, Nordic walking, or aerobic training, but it would also include jumps and leaps like step aerobics to promote bone health. The Participants will be asked to perform these thrice per week.
No Intervention: Control Group
This group will continue with their routine life and will receive standard care given by the hospital.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cardiorespiratory health
Time Frame: 0-5 months
A 2-km walk test (UKK walk test, Tampere, Finland) would be done along to evaluate the submaximal Vo2 analysis additionally peak exercise minute ventilation, and direct maximal voluntary ventilation will be assessed to evaluate pulmonary limitation to exercise. This be measured through Spirometry.
0-5 months
Quality of Research
Time Frame: 0-5 months
The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30).
0-5 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Gulf Medical University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Fatima Abdul Rashid, Gulf Medical University

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

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)

July 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 22, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 22, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

August 28, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 24, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 19, 2025

Last Verified

August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB-COHS-STD-95-May-2023

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

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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