Dance-Based Exercise for Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients (DANCE-BC)

September 11, 2026 updated by: Comenius University

The Effect of a Dance-Based Exercise Intervention on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Study.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a 12-week dance-based exercise program can reduce cancer-related fatigue in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer who are undergoing treatment before surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does participating in the dance-based exercise program reduce cancer-related fatigue? Does the program improve quality of life and physical functioning?

Researchers will compare women who participate in the dance-based exercise program in addition to their standard cancer care with women who receive standard cancer care alone.

Participants in the dance group will take part in supervised 60-minute dance sessions three times per week for 12 weeks. All participants will complete questionnaires and undergo assessments of physical fitness and body composition. Blood and stool samples will also be collected to study changes in the gut microbiome and selected biological markers. Participants will be followed for up to one year after surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most prevalent and burdensome symptoms experienced by patients with breast cancer during systemic anticancer treatment. Unlike ordinary tiredness, cancer-related fatigue may persist despite rest and can negatively affect physical functioning, psychological well-being, daily activities, and quality of life. Exercise has been recognized as an important supportive strategy for the management of cancer-related fatigue; however, adherence to conventional exercise programs during intensive cancer treatment may be challenging.

Dance-based exercise represents a multimodal form of physical activity combining aerobic exercise, coordination, balance, rhythmic movement, and social and cognitive engagement. Its enjoyable and adaptable nature may provide an alternative approach to maintaining physical activity during cancer treatment. Nevertheless, evidence regarding the effects of structured dance-based exercise during neoadjuvant treatment for breast cancer remains limited.

This randomized controlled study will investigate the effects of a structured dance-based exercise intervention in women with breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant treatment. The study is designed to determine whether incorporating supervised dance-based exercise into the period of neoadjuvant treatment can reduce cancer-related fatigue and support physical and psychosocial functioning compared with standard oncological care alone.

The intervention is structured as a progressive, supervised dance-based exercise program delivered during neoadjuvant treatment. The program combines dance-based aerobic activity with movements targeting coordination, mobility, balance, and muscular function. Exercise intensity and complexity will be individually adapted according to participants' physical condition, exercise tolerance, and treatment-related symptoms. This approach is intended to maintain an appropriate exercise stimulus while allowing flexibility in response to changes in health status during oncological treatment.

In addition to evaluating the clinical and functional effects of the intervention, the study includes an exploratory mechanistic component. Cancer treatment and physical activity may influence systemic metabolism, inflammatory processes, and the intestinal microbial ecosystem. The study will therefore investigate changes in the gut microbiome and selected circulating biological markers and explore their relationships with changes in fatigue, physical fitness, body composition, physical activity, and other clinical and functional characteristics.

The gut microbiome component will characterize microbial composition and diversity using stool samples collected during the study. Blood-based analyses will complement the microbiome assessment by examining selected biological pathways potentially involved in the response to exercise and cancer treatment. Integrating these biological data with functional and patient-reported data may provide insight into mechanisms through which exercise influences health and recovery during neoadjuvant breast cancer treatment.

The longitudinal design will also allow the investigators to examine whether changes observed during the intervention period are maintained during recovery following surgery. By combining a randomized exercise intervention with clinical, functional, behavioral, and biological assessments, the study aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of dance-based exercise as a supportive strategy during neoadjuvant treatment for breast cancer.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

104

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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Slovakia
      • Bratislava, Slovakia, 83310
        • 2nd Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University and National Cancer Institute
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Mária Rečková, PhD, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Eva Oravcová, PhD, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Miroslava Malejčíková, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Barbora Dobiašová, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Jana Kopajová, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Eva Šimuneková, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Katarina Kalavska, PhD, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Bela Mrinakova, PhD, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Bibiana Vertakova Krakovska, PhD, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Miriam Hancinova, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Ivan Hric, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Libuša Nechalová, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Peter Olej, PhD.

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Signed and dated written informed consent. Female patients with histologically confirmed, newly diagnosed, non-metastatic invasive breast cancer.

Age 18-60 years. Body mass index (BMI) <35 kg/m². Indication for and planned initiation of neoadjuvant treatment at the National Cancer Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia, or St. Elizabeth Cancer Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Planned definitive breast surgery following completion of neoadjuvant treatment.

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1. Ability to understand and complete the study questionnaires and comply with study procedures.

Ability and willingness to participate in the supervised dance intervention, as determined by the investigator.

Medical clearance for participation in moderate-intensity physical activity.

Exclusion Criteria:

Metastatic breast cancer at the time of study enrollment. Recurrent breast cancer or previous treatment for the current breast cancer, except for diagnostic biopsy and other diagnostic procedures.

Previous invasive malignancy within the preceding 5 years, except for adequately treated non-melanoma skin cancer, carcinoma in situ, or another malignancy considered by the investigator unlikely to interfere with study outcomes.

ECOG performance status ≥2. Any uncontrolled cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, musculoskeletal, or other medical condition that, in the investigator's judgment, would make participation in the dance intervention unsafe.

Clinically significant laboratory abnormalities that, in the investigator's judgment, would make participation in the physical intervention unsafe.

Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Inability or unwillingness to comply with study procedures, the intervention schedule, sample collection, or follow-up assessments.

Any psychological, cognitive, social, or language-related condition that would prevent provision of valid informed consent or reliable completion of study assessments.

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: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Dance-Based Exercise Intervention
Participants receive standard neoadjuvant oncological treatment and participate in a supervised 12-week dance-based exercise program.
Other: Dance-Based Exercise Program
Participants will complete a 12-week supervised dance-based exercise program consisting of three 60-minute sessions per week. Each session will include a warm-up, a main dance-based exercise component, and a cool-down. The program will combine aerobic dance activities with exercises targeting coordination, balance, mobility, and muscular function. Exercise intensity and complexity will be individually adapted according to participants' physical condition, exercise tolerance, and treatment-related symptoms.
No Intervention: Standard Care Control
Participants receive standard neoadjuvant oncological treatment without participation in the structured dance-based exercise program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Cancer-Related Fatigue Assessed by the FACIT-Fatigue Scale
Time Frame: Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Cancer-related fatigue will be assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue) scale. The total score ranges from 0 to 52, with higher scores indicating less fatigue (better functioning). The primary analysis will evaluate the change in FACIT-Fatigue score from baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention.
Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Quality of Life
Time Frame: Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Quality of life will be assessed using the study-specified validated quality-of-life questionnaire. The relevant total and/or domain scores will be calculated according to the questionnaire scoring instructions.
Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Change in Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Time Frame: Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) will be assessed using a bicycle exercise test. Changes in exercise capacity from baseline will be evaluated.
Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Change in Lower and Upper-Body Muscular Strength
Time Frame: Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Muscular Strength will be assessed using the functional/strength test specified in the study protocol. Changes from baseline will be evaluated.
Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Change in Gut Microbiome Diversity and Composition
Time Frame: Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Gut microbial composition will be characterized from stool samples to assess changes in the relative abundance of bacterial taxa associated with the intervention.
Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Change in Inflammatory Biomarkers
Time Frame: Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Blood samples will be analyzed for selected circulating biomarkers related to systemic inflammation. Changes in biomarker concentrations from baseline will be evaluated.
Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Change in Markers of Intestinal Permeability
Time Frame: Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Blood samples will be analyzed for selected biomarkers related to intestinal barrier function and permeability. Changes from baseline will be evaluated.
Baseline to the end of the 12-week intervention
Long-Term Cancer-Related Fatigue
Time Frame: Approximately 90, 180, and 365 days after surgery
ancer-related fatigue will be reassessed after surgery using the FACIT-Fatigue scale to evaluate the persistence of intervention-related effects during follow-up. Higher scores indicate less fatigue.
Approximately 90, 180, and 365 days after surgery
Long-Term Quality of Life
Time Frame: Approximately 90, 180, and 365 days after surgery
Quality of life will be reassessed during postoperative follow-up using the study-specified validated questionnaire to evaluate longer-term differences between groups.
Approximately 90, 180, and 365 days after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Comenius University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Michal Mego, PhD, MD, 2nd Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava and National Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Principal Investigator: Viktor Bielik, PhD., Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia

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 (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 11, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1/0437/27

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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.

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