Abstract

Background

Treatment for cancer of the gastro‐oesophageal junction (GOJ) can result in considerable and persistent impairment of physical fitness and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). This controlled follow‐up study investigated the feasibility and safety of postoperative exercise training.

Methods

Patients with stage I–III GOJ cancer were allocated to 12 weeks of postoperative concurrent aerobic and resistance training (exercise group) or usual care (control group). Changes in cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength and HRQoL were evaluated. Adherence to adjuvant chemotherapy, hospitalizations and 1‐year overall survival were recorded to assess safety.

Results

Some 49 patients were studied. The exercise group attended a mean of 69 per cent of all prescribed sessions. After exercise, muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness were increased and returned to pretreatment levels. At 1‐year follow‐up, the exercise group had improved HRQoL (+13·5 points, 95 per cent c.i. 2·2 to 24·9), with no change in the control group (+3·7 points, −5·9 to 13·4), but there was no difference between the groups at this time point (+9·8 points, −5·1 to 24·8). Exercise was safe, with no differences in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (14 of 16 versus 16 of 19; relative risk (RR) 1·04, 95 per cent c.i. 0·74 to 1·44), relative dose intensity of adjuvant chemotherapy (mean 57 versus 63 per cent; P = 0·479), hospitalization (7 of 19 versus 6 of 23; RR 1·41, 0·57 to 3·49) or 1‐year overall survival (80 versus 79 per cent; P = 0·839) for exercise and usual care respectively.

Conclusion

Exercise in the postoperative period is safe and may have the potential to improve physical fitness in patients with GOJ cancer. No differences in prognostic endpoints or HRQoL were observed. Registration number: NCT02722785 (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Details

Title
Effects of high‐intensity exercise training on physical fitness, quality of life and treatment outcomes after oesophagectomy for cancer of the gastro‐oesophageal junction: PRESET pilot study
Author
Simonsen, C 1 ; S. Thorsen‐Streit 1 ; Sundberg, A 1 ; Djurhuus, S S 1 ; Mortensen, C E 2 ; Qvortrup, C 2 ; Pedersen, B K 1 ; Svendsen, L B 3 ; de Heer, P 3 ; Christensen, J F 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

1  Centre for Physical Activity Research, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark 
2  Departments of Oncology, Copenhagen, Denmark 
3  Surgical Gastroenterology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark 
Pages
855-864
Section
Original articles
Publication year
2020
Publication date
Oct 2020
Publisher
Oxford University Press
e-ISSN
24749842
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs5.50337
ProQuest document ID
2447505803
Copyright
© 2020. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.