Clinical trial · Interventional
Strength Training for Older Breast Cancer Survivors
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Women aged 50 and older are disproportionately affected by breast cancer, not only in terms of new diagnoses, but also in terms of survivorship. Approximately 85% of women who receive a first diagnosis of breast cancer are aged 50 and over, thus older women constitute the largest group of breast cancer survivors. Yet, few studies have focused on evaluating whether physical activity and exercise interventions affect long-term symptoms, physical fitness and function, and body composition of older breast cancer survivors. Due to the combined effects of breast cancer, related treatments and aging it is likely that exercise is even more beneficial for older breast cancer survivors than for younger survivors. Along with the cancer-related symptom of fatigue common to cancer survivors, older survivors face age-related declines in bone and muscle mass, muscle strength, bone health and physical function (gait and balance) that are likely exacerbated by reduced physical activity in survivorship and side effects of adjuvant cancer treatment. All women, regardless of age, are at risk for breast cancer recurrence. Recent epidemiologic evidence suggests a link between exercise and reduced risk of cancer recurrence in breast cancer survivors. Strength training is specifically suited to reverse or slow age-related declines in bone, muscle, strength and function and has shown promise to reduce cancer-related fatigue. However, no controlled trials of strength training in older breast cancer survivors have been conducted.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast Neoplasm | Breast Neoplasm | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.98 |
| Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flexibility Training | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Resistance Exercise | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- 1
- description
- Progressive resistance training program 3 times a week for 12 months
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Resistance Exercise
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- 2
- description
- Flexibility training 3 times a week for 12 months
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Flexibility Training
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Physical functioning (muscle strength, gait and balance), self-report physical and mental health, and fatigue
- timeFrame
- 12 months
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- Female
- Minimum age
- 50 Years
- Maximum age
- 90 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed with early stage breast cancer at age of 50 or older * Completed adjuvant therapy, radiation +/- chemotherapy but selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMS), (aromatase inhibitors (AIs) ok) at least 1 year prior to enrollment Exclusion Criteria: * Cognitive difficulties that preclude answering the survey questions, participating in performance testing or giving informed consent * Diagnosed osteoporosis * Current regular participation in planned impact activities or resistance training (more than 2 times a week for 30 minutes at a time) * Medication that contraindicates participation in moderate intensity strength training or previous use of medications known to affect bone metabolism * Movement or neurologic disorder, not including chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy
References
Publications (6)
- RESULTWinters-Stone KM, Dobek J, Nail L, Bennett JA, Leo MC, Naik A, Schwartz A. Strength training stops bone loss and builds muscle in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors: a randomized, controlled trial. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2011 Jun;127(2):447-56. doi: 10.1007/s10549-011-1444-z. Epub 2011 Mar 19. PMID 21424279
- RESULTWinters-Stone KM, Dobek J, Bennett JA, Nail LM, Leo MC, Schwartz A. The effect of resistance training on muscle strength and physical function in older, postmenopausal breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial. J Cancer Surviv. 2012 Jun;6(2):189-99. doi: 10.1007/s11764-011-0210-x. Epub 2011 Dec 23. PMID 22193780
- RESULTDobek J, Winters-Stone KM, Bennett JA, Nail L. Musculoskeletal changes after 1 year of exercise in older breast cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv. 2014 Jun;8(2):304-11. doi: 10.1007/s11764-013-0313-7. Epub 2013 Dec 7. PMID 24317968
- RESULTWinters-Stone KM, Leo MC, Schwartz A. Exercise effects on hip bone mineral density in older, post-menopausal breast cancer survivors are age dependent. Arch Osteoporos. 2012;7(1-2):301-6. doi: 10.1007/s11657-012-0071-6. Epub 2012 Mar 20. PMID 23225299
- DERIVEDErnst M, Wagner C, Oeser A, Messer S, Wender A, Cryns N, Brockelmann PJ, Holtkamp U, Baumann FT, Wiskemann J, Monsef I, Scherer RW, Mishra SI, Skoetz N. Resistance training for fatigue in people with cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024 Nov 28;11(11):CD015518. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD015518. PMID 39606939
- DERIVEDWinters-Stone KM, Wood LJ, Stoyles S, Dieckmann NF. The Effects of Resistance Exercise on Biomarkers of Breast Cancer Prognosis: A Pooled Analysis of Three Randomized Trials. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2018 Feb;27(2):146-153. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-17-0766. Epub 2017 Nov 15. PMID 29141853