The changes of inflammatory biomarkers after a 12-week home-based aerobic and resistance exercise intervention in breast cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVE: Our earlier work reported the benefits of implementing a 12-week home-based aerobic and resistance exercise in breast cancer patients. Other studies showed a correlation between increased physical function from exercise with the reduction of inflammatory biomarkers. This study aimed to analyse the changes of exercise-induced inflammatory biomarkers and its association with health-related outcomes. RESULTS: A 12-week home-based exercise intervention was assigned to 32 breast cancer patients, consisting of pedometer-driven walking (aerobic) and resistance exercise using therapeutic bands. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels, and other health-related outcomes including physical function, resting heart rate (RHR), physical activity levels, and fatigue, were assessed before and after intervention. Wilcoxon signed rank test revealed significant changes in CRP levels post-intervention (P = 0.043). The IL-6 and IL-10 levels were increased post-intervention but the majority of IL-6 and IL-10 levels were below lower level of quantification (LLOQ). The median changes from pre- to post-intervention were 0.2 mg/dL for CRP, 0 pg/mL for IL-6, and 0.62 pg/mL for IL-10. CRP changes ≤ 0.2 mg/dL were associated with improved fatigue (P = 0.003), IL-6 changes > 0 pg/mL might be associated with increased moderate-intensity physical activity levels (P = 0.009), and IL-10 changes > 0.62 pg/mL might be associated with increased moderate-intensity physical activity levels (P = 0.008) and RHR reduction (P = 0.026). These findings suggested that inflammatory biomarker changes were related to exercise-induced benefits. Trial registration This study was registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov Database (ID NCT07338903), with retrospective registration completed on 4 January 2026.