Positive effects of physical activity are fundamentally known for cardiovascular, metabolic and cancer diseases. However, the physical distance to physical activity centers is often a barrier. That’s why researchers at the University of Leipzig have now tested whether app-based home exercise, including digital activity feedback via a smartwatch, works well for cancer patients after surgery. The results have been published in the journal BMC Medicine.
There is clear scientific evidence that physical activity is beneficial for the prevention of various cancers and in therapy in cancer patients. A central task of sports medicine is therefore the development and research of easily accessible and effective exercise programs for prevention and rehabilitation. Scientists from the Institute of Sports Medicine and Prevention at the University of Leipzig, Leipzig University Medical Center, Dresden University Medical Center and Hannover Medical School have analyzed the effects of home-based online training in cancer patients after surgery in a current project led by Martin Busse. It led to an increase in oxygen uptake, cardiopulmonary performance and a reduction in the strain on the heart muscle during physical activity.
-The study we conducted demonstrates that online exercise programs are one way to counteract the body’s loss of function in cancer survivors. Home-based physical training along with digital feedback information on daily physical activity could be effective components after surgery and offer the possibility of widespread introduction into cancer care-, says Roberto Falz, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Institute of Sports Medicine and Prevention.
148 patients with breast, prostate or colon cancer participated in the study after surgery. They were randomly assigned to an intervention group, which performed strength endurance training with video presentations several times a week in their home environment, and a control group. All patient:s received digital feedback of their daily activity behavior throughout the six-month intervention period, which was captured with a smartwatch and transferred to the online app Übertragen. The feedback information was presented clearly in the app. The most important measurement parameter was the change in oxygen uptake after half a year, which was determined in several exercise tests. Other measurement parameters included changes in body composition, quality of life and activity behavior.
High acceptance of online training
No adverse events causally related to the training occurred during the course of the study. With regard to the change in body composition, the researchers found that the subjects tended to reduce their fat mass and increase their muscle mass. Acceptance of the online training intervention was high. About 75 percent of participants exercised at least 1.5 times per week. In addition, digital activity feedback appears to contribute to a more active lifestyle, as the control group also had comparable daily activity.
The authors of the study summarize that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which was accompanied by the cancellation of operations and restrictions on public life, made the recruitment of patients much more difficult and thus an analysis of subgroups could not take place. However, online-based home training was shown to be feasible even under pandemic conditions. This advantage contributed to the success of the study, which was funded by the Saxon Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism. -The introduction of widespread home-based training and activity feedback as complementary components of cancer treatment, as well as studies to investigate the long-term effects, are still needed, however,- explains René Thieme, laboratory director in the Department of Visceral Surgery at Leipzig University Medical Center.
Original publication in BMC Medicine:
"Effect of home-based online training and activity feedback on oxygen uptake in patients after surgical cancer therapy: a randomized controlled trial," Doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916’023 -03010-6
Anne Grimm
