TeleHealth Resistance exercise Intervention to preserve dose intensity and Vitality in Elder Breast Cancer Patients (THRIVE 65).

BACKGROUND

Older women with breast cancer are more likely than younger women to experience dose-limiting toxicities with chemotherapy. This leads to dose reduction, treatment discontinuation, and inferior treatment outcomes. Older women are also at higher risk of long-term detrimental impacts of treatment on quality of life and physical function.

AIM: The primary aim of the TeleHealth Resistance exercise Intervention to preserve dose intensity and Vitality in Elder breast cancer patients (THRIVE-65) trial is to assess the effects of an exercise and nutrition intervention on chemotherapy relative dose intensity among women aged ≥65 receiving chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer.

METHODS/

DESIGN

THRIVE-65 is a 2-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial. The intervention includes two 30-45 min telehealth delivered resistance exercise sessions weekly, 90 min of unsupervised aerobic exercise weekly, and dietitian-guided high protein intake (1.2 g/kg/day)) delivered throughout the course of chemotherapy. The Health Education and Support control group receives a tablet with supportive care materials. Planned and observed chemotherapy dose and treatment schedule are recorded to assess relative dose intensity. Pre- and post- intervention assessments include patient reported outcomes, a geriatric assessment, dietary and physical activity measures, physical function and body composition.

CONCLUSIONS

The THRIVE-65 trial is poised to answer a crucial scientific question: Can exercise and nutrition support improve chemotherapy tolerance among older breast cancer patients? Study results will inform clinical practice related to exercise and nutrition support for this population.