POSITIVE - Study (Part III) Heidelberg (POSITIVE)

Inpatient periods: The combined resistance and endurance program consist of free weight and rubber band training for major upper and lower body muscle groups respectively of cycling/walking on an ergometer/treadmill 3x/week.

Outpatient periods (3x/week at least two/one supervised training sessions): Supervised training sessions in the local outpatient training center will comprise of resistance exercise on machines and endurance training on an ergometer/treadmill. For non-supervised training session during the outpatient period participants will receive an exercise manual for individualized home-based exercising.

In weekly phone calls, the advanced practice nurse will review adherence to the intervention and identify problems. Furthermore, the patients will also be asked the same questions as in the CMPC group.

6-Minute Walk Test (endurance capacity) The 6 minute walk test is feasible and safe to determine patients physical capacity. Patients are instructed to walk in 6 min. as many meters as possible with oxygen saturation and pulse rate being measured concomitantly.

Hand-held Dynamometry (isometric strength capacity) The hand-held dynamometry is a standardized instrument to measure muscular strength. In the study 6 major muscle groups of upper and lower extremities will be assessed for their isometric power.

PHQ(Ultra-Brief Patient Health Questionnaire)-4 :

The PHQ-4 (Ultra-Brief Patient Health Questionnaire) questionnaire is a short instrument comprising of 4 items to detect the extent of depression and anxiety. It provides sufficient diagnostic accuracy for major depression and can be used as a screening instrument in cancer populations.

DS (Demoralization Scale) The demoralization scale (DS) is a relatively new developed questionnaire to detect the extent of existential distress in cancer patients. The German version was validated in 2011 and comprises of 24 questions. The results of the validation showed that the concept of demoralization is a useful instrument to describe the different states of existential distress and the individual incapacity to cope effectively with stressful situations.

Quantification (Q) of immune cells: Multicolor flow cytometry from cryopreserved Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC), CD (cluster of differentiation) 4+ and CD 8+ T cells, effector, naïve and activated T cells, regulatory T cells (Treg) and their functional subsets, natural killer cells, B cells, monocytes and monocyte-derived myeloid suppressor cells will be assessed.

Q. of tumor antigen reactive effector/memory T cells: Will be done by interferon gamma Enzyme Linked Immuno Spot Assays from PBMC using a panel of defined tumor antigens presented by generated autologous dendritic cells as antigen presenting cells and purified T cells as responder cells.

Detection of tumor reactive Treg: Will be done by established Treg specificity assay based on the increased suppressive activity of specifically activated regulatory T cells.

Q. of key immune effector molecules: Will be done for app. 14 different cytokines and chemokines from cryopreserved serum samples.