ASPO Abstracts
Physical activity is associated with improved quality of life and functional fitness among patients receiving preoperative therapy for pancreatic cancer
Category: Lifestyles Behavior, Energy Balance & Chemoprevention, Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2018
Abstract Body:
Purpose: We sought to evaluate associations between physical activity (PA) and changes in health-related quality of life (QOL) and functional fitness among patients participating in a multi-modal, home-based exercise program concurrent with preoperative chemo- or radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer. Methods: Patients (N=50, mean age 66.4+/-7.9yrs, 48% female) were encouraged to perform 60 min/week each of moderate-intensity aerobic and strengthening exercise during treatment. Patients reported aerobic and strengthening exercise daily throughout treatment, and light and moderate-to-vigorous PA were measured using Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers during each treatment phase. Patients reported QOL and physical functioning using the FACT-Hep and PROMIS Short Form, respectively, and performed 6-minute walk (6MWT), 5x sit-to- stand (5xSTS) and grip strength tests upon enrollment and following treatment. Multivariable models evaluated associations between self-reported or objective PA and changes in QOL and functional fitness. Results: 6MWT improved from 459.7+/-86.4m to 488.2+/-93.1m (p=.001), and 5xSTS improved from 11.4+/-4.2s to 10.6+/-3.6s (p<.05). Aerobic exercise was positively associated with improvements in self- reported physical functioning (β=.02, p=.03) and 6MWT (β=.19, p=.05). Light PA was positively associated with improvements in QOL (β=.03, p=.02), self-reported physical functioning (β=.01, p=.02), and 6MWT (β=.08, p=.03). Moderate-to-vigorous PA was positively associated with improvements in self-reported physical functioning (β=.03, p<.01) and 6MWT (β=.18, p=.03). Strengthening exercise was not significantly associated with change in any outcome, and there were no significant associations between PA and changes in 5xSTS or grip strength. Conclusions: Self-reported and objective PA were associated with favorable changes in QOL and functional fitness among patients participating in a home-based exercise program concurrent with preoperative therapy for pancreatic cancer. Preoperative therapy provides a critical window to optimize and prepare patients for possible pancreatic cancer surgery, and our findings support the use of structured exercise programming to improve QOL and physical functioning in this context.
Keywords: Exercise; physical activity; prehabilitation; pancreatic cancer