Clinical trial · Interventional
Preoperative Exercise in Pancreatic Cancer
The Effects of a Preoperative Exercise Intervention During Neoadjuvant Therapy in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer
- 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)
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of a preoperative exercise program in patients with pancreatic cancer preparing for surgery. Preoperative exercise programs have been shown to be effective in other cancer populations, but have not been investigated in patients with pancreatic cancer. The outcomes in this study will be changes in physical fitness, function, and postoperative outcomes. This investigation is a non-randomized control trial, with participants assigned to receive the preoperative exercise intervention in addition to standard care, or standard care alone if unable to commit to an exercise program for practical reasons. Possible mediators for the effects of exercise on postoperative outcomes will also be assessed, including psychological outcomes and markers of systemic inflammation. These measures will be assessed in all participants prior to program initiation, prior to surgery, and after surgery. Changes in these measures in response to exercise will be assessed, as well as the ability of the preoperative measures to predict postoperative outcomes.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pancreatic Cancer | Malignant Pancreatic Neoplasm | CURATED_EXACT | 0.92 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise program | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Standard Care | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Exercise Group
- description
- Participants will complete an exercise program in addition to standard care. Participants will start the exercise program within four weeks of their diagnosis and decision to undergo neoadjuvant treatment and continue until surgery. Participants will be encouraged to complete three sessions per week for at least eight weeks during neoadjuvant therapy. Exercise intensity, components, and time will be recorded for each exercise session. Participants will schedule their sessions with the exercise specialists administering the program, typically taking place between 8AM and 4PM, Monday through Friday.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Exercise program
- Other: Standard Care
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Standard Care
- description
- Participants in the Standard Care group will receive no exercise intervention, but will continue to receive standard follow-ups, treatments and services from their oncology team.
- interventionNames
- Other: Standard Care
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 21 Years
- Maximum age
- 80 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Recent (\< 4 week) first diagnosis of a borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma * Prescription to receive neoadjuvant therapy and surgery, * Age 21 to 80 years old, * Physician clearance to participate in exercise program. Exclusion Criteria: * Any significant comorbid conditions that would interfere with or preclude participation in an exercise intervention, including orthopedic conditions such as advanced osteoarthritis, mobility-limiting amputations or chronic injuries, or mobility-limiting acute orthopedic injuries * Advanced rheumatoid arthritis * Widespread chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia * Pulmonary conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, interstitial lung disease, use of supplementary oxygen * Known cardiovascular disease or new cardiac event in last 6 months * Diabetes * Pregnancy * Second cancer diagnosis at the time of enrollment
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available