Abstract
Bourke L, Thompson G, Gibson DJ, Daley A, Crank H, Adam I, Shorthouse A, Saxton J.
Pragmatic lifestyle intervention in patients recovering from colon cancer: a randomized
controlled pilot study.
Objective
To investigate the feasibility of a pragmatic lifestyle intervention in patients who
had recently completed surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer and to obtain preliminary
data of its impact on important health outcomes.
Design
A prospective, randomized, controlled pilot trial.
Setting
University rehabilitation facility.
Participants
Eighteen (N=18) colon cancer survivors (mean age=69y; range, 52–80y), Dukes stage
A to C.
Interventions
Participants were randomized 6 to 24 months postoperatively to either a 12-week program
of combined exercise and dietary advice or standard treatment.
Main Outcome Measures
Exercise and dietary behavior, fatigue, health-related quality of life (QOL), aerobic
exercise tolerance, functional capacity, muscle strength, and anthropometery were
assessed at baseline and immediately after the intervention.
Results
Adherences to supervised and independent exercise during the intervention were 90%
and 94%, respectively, and there was low attrition (6%). The lifestyle intervention
elicited improvements in exercise behavior (P=.068), fatigue (P=.005), aerobic exercise tolerance (P=.010), chair sit-to-stand performance (P=.003), and waist-to-hip ratio (P=.002). A positive change in dietary fiber intake (P=.044) was also observed in the intervention group. No change in QOL was observed
(P=.795).
Conclusions
These preliminary results suggest that a pragmatic lifestyle intervention implemented
6 to 24 months after primary treatment for colon cancer was feasible. We observed
a significant impact on dietary behavior, fatigue, aerobic exercise tolerance, functional
capacity, and waist-to-hip ratio. These findings need to be confirmed with a larger-scale
definitive randomized controlled trial.
Key Words
List of Abbreviations:
CRC (colorectal cancer), FACT-C (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Colorectal), FACT-F (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Fatigue), MDT (multidisciplinary team), MVT (maximum voluntary torque), QOL (quality of life), RCT (randomized controlled trial), RPE (ratings of perceived exertion), RMS (root mean square), sEMG (surface electromyography), delta sEMG (change in rectified surface electromyography amplitude)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Footnotes
Supported by Sheffield Hallam University.
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
Reprints are not available from the author.
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
